


Runaway Royals

by forgotheparable, PickleandtheQueen



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: AU, Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M, Gen, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-29
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2018-03-20 05:46:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 42,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3638994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forgotheparable/pseuds/forgotheparable, https://archiveofourown.org/users/PickleandtheQueen/pseuds/PickleandtheQueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the defeat of Daimao Piccolo, the entire race of demonkin is enslaved, their powers inhibited and suppressed by magical restraints. The disinherited prince, Piccolo Junior is given to Princess Chichi of the Ox Kingdom to act as her personal bodyguard. Despite being adamantly against the treatment of the demonkin, Chichi can do nothing to stop it. About to be married off to her childhood sweetheart, something occurs to set both slave and princess on the run for their own personal freedoms.</p><p>Semi-Hiatus... PQ wants to finish this</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The End and the Beginning: The Demon King Falls

Smashing, searing pain slammed into the side of his head, and the next thing he knew, he was on the ground, in the mud, covered with sludge and blood. He tried to push himself up but failed to coordinate his limbs. What was he even _looking_ at? Oh, Gods, everything looked blurry and shiny all at once and _what was that screaming and roaring and clanging and thudding?_ The prince gritted his teeth and forced his shaking limbs under his body, only to have them give out on him again. Piccolo cried out as he landed face first in the mud for the second time, swallowing foul-tasting grit as he did so.

Finally, the Prince of all Demons managed to tilt his head to the side, and slowly, _slowly_ , the world began to return to focus. He was able to identify all of the horrible noises plaguing his sensitive ears.

Of _course_.

He was in the middle of a battle.

_How could he have forgotten?_

A flash of – literally – clashing colors drew he ruby eyes. Deep royal purple seared through an all too-bright orange. For a moment, his black heart soared; his _Father!_ If only he could help, they could destroy this pest, this, this _Son Goku_ , together! Piccolo struggled to regain his feet a third time, only to have a boot pressed cruelly into his back.

“Lie still or I slay you where you are, Ugly.” The threat in itself would have done little – no, nothing – to freeze him, but there was no strength left in him. The lithe prince made no further attempt to stand; he could not have, with or without the man’s boot crushing his spine. It was humiliating.

“My…Father…will slaughter you before…you have the chance,” Piccolo panted, red eyes flicking to see his oppressor. He was mortified to see how diminutive was the man holding down! That ridiculous hair had to be compensating for something. There was simply no blaming it as the result of a helmet.

The man’s thick eyebrows shot skyward, and a vile smirk curled his lips.

“Oh really? Well, I dare say you had better pay attention then,” the short man sneered, removing his boot from Piccolo’s back and crouching beside the battered prince. His boot was replaced by his hand, which grabbed the boy’s – for he was merely a boy, not even sixteen – jaw and forcing him to look at the scene before them.

Piccolo bit back a snarl of pain – he would not give the foul warrior the satisfaction – and watched.

What he saw made his eyes go as wide as the full moon.

It was impossible… but…

Son Goku could not be stronger than his _Father_ …

Two titans slammed into each other like opposing waves, sliding away from the other just as smoothly as raindrops on glass. A tall, imposing, royal demon with piercing red eyes and an experience-lined face barely managed to block a deadly kick from a spry, young, dark-haired warrior prince. King Piccolo, the Daimao of all his people, was losing to Son Goku. It was inconceivable. Daimao returned the kick with a knife-hand – only to hit air, and be knocked to the side by a punch to the cheek. He recovered.

Piccolo, the prince, watched the duel with bated breath.

_Father…_

Goku’s fist was followed by a kick to the mighty king’s stomach, and then an elbow to his chest. Daimao’s claws sliced the dashing prince’s tunic, drawing blood across his muscled chest. It was but a small deterrent. It was over when Son Goku made his next move, and the King’s dying ears heard but one sound.

  _“FATHER!”_

Piccolo heard nothing, not even his own desperate scream of denial. The world around him seemed to slow, blur. It all became grey and hazy. Like he was under water. All his ruby eyes could see was his Father’s body falling to the ground. It was taking far too long, surely it was some trick. A result of the…the… what had happened to his head? Piccolo writhed in the mud, wrenching his face free from the cruel hand gripping his jaw, and crawling through the mud towards his Father’s…. No, it could not be a…

 _Corpse_.

He had no idea how he had reached it, how he had come to clutch the once mighty hand – now lifeless though still warm. He could not help the desperation with which he shook the body of the king. _No, no…_

Vaguely, he heard the voices of the victorious.

_What to do with him._

“Kill him, or he’ll be a problem later.”

 “Vegeta, I can’t – _you can’t either_! He’s defeated, done. He can’t fight anymore. _Prince_ or not, _problem_ or not, the _warrior_ is beaten. Killing him now would be murder!”

 “You’re going to get yourself _killed_ one day by one of these sacks of garbage and I won’t even feel sorry for you.”

“Vegeta – ”

 “Fine, if you won’t kill him, take him prisoner. Ought to be a good enough bargaining tool for surrender.”

 _And then… No, they_ couldn’t _be…_

He felt himself being dragged away, and he made a snatch, a wild, seeking, and seemingly pointless snatch, at his Father’s corpse. His fingers caught on something. His Father’s earring. Squeezing his eyes shut as the amethyst earring tore from his Father’s earlobe, Piccolo clung to it. Fingers curled around it. So help him, _they would not take this!_ Piccolo fought against the hands that pulled him, but to no avail. He was too weak, body spent.

“Father,” the prince whispered, as several of Goku’s men approached the body. With swords. Oh, Gods. He was going to be sick. “Don’t you dare, you bastards!” Piccolo snarled, thrashing violently and managing to loose himself from one of the hands, only to have several bodies force him to the battle-churned earth, clap iron shackles around his wrists, and fit something cold…and… _Draining_ … around his neck. Piccolo hissed in agony as whatever strength was left in his body wavered horribly.  His vision wavered.

 And the Prince of all Demons went limp, save the hand clasped around the amethyst earring.


	2. A Fateful Encounter

Chichi stalked along the corridors, a guard at either side of her. "What is the meaning of this? You still haven't told me." She turned her piercing gaze upon one of her father's attendants. Her lips were pursed, forming a thin line, and her brows were drawn tightly together. Despite the rosiness of her cheeks, the youthful glow of her skin and her large eyes, she looked positively severe. Even the dark curls falling around her face failed to soften her appearance.

The royal advisor flinched. “Y-Your Radiance,” he stammered, bowing his head and clasping his hands together. “Your Majesty requested your attendance for a meeting.”

“I _know_ that,” she snapped, huffing and kneading her temples. “I’m asking what this meeting will concern?”

The Princess had always been feisty, but she had become outright aggressive ever since her father had confined her to the castle grounds. He had claimed it to be for her safety, but the entire castle knew otherwise, and so did she. She was too sharp not to see through his lies, too perceptive not to pick up on his pretence.

"My lady-"

" _Why?!_ ”

“Your Radiance, _please calm down!_ You will see, soon," he pleaded, voice thin and strained. "I would inform you as to what the meeting concerns, but I am not authorised to reveal such information. That is down to your father.”

The Princess harrumphed, but said nothing else. Relieved, the consultant scuttled forward to open the double doors, grunting with exertion. “R-Right this way, if you please.”

Barely supressing an eye roll, Chichi stepped forward into the hall. Her father was seated on the far side, a counsellor standing at either side of him; along with many more guards than would be normal for a formal meeting between King and Princess. Dark eyes narrowed. She could feel the very air tightening as she drew forward, closer to the monarch. She noted the presence of his board of advisors as well. "Father. You requested my presence?”

-

Piccolo's head hung low, weighed down by the weight of heavy chains attached to either side of the wretched collar, by exhaustion, abuse, and malnutrition, but mostly out of shame. A prince, lowered to a slave. He could only wait as two burly human guards dragged him down rich hallways. He was dressed a glossy, black tunic and matching trousers of fine silk. Red thread was stitched in elegant detail on the outfit. He hated it. Black was a peasant's color. Of course, he was not much more than a peasant, as a palace slave. Piccolo's only solace was that the two guards, easily twice as wide as him, seemed terrified, and were walking only as close to him as was necessary.

Emerald lips pulled back over gleaming fangs, long canines jutting out over the lower teeth caught the flickering light of many torches lining the wall. He must have looked as he should, demonic and terrifying, for one of the men yanked him roughly to one side, throwing him off his feeble balance. Piccolo made a small, startled noise as he stumbled, only to have the other guard sharply jerk on the other chain, righting the former prince before he hit the ground.

“Dammit, he can't do anything to you with that collar around his cursed neck!"

Piccolo was privately grateful for the rough treatment - with his arms shackled behind his back as they were, he would have landed on his face... Where was he being taken...? Who would be his... The word was hard to even think... His...master....?

King Gyumao - or Ox, as he was more informally known - swallowed thickly as he regarded his daughter with a nervous smile. Despite his warrior ancestry, he was a placid man, and so had been his little girl - up until her sixteenth birthday. Things had rapidly changed from there; and he wasn't sure if it was her newly found confidence, her hormones, or her outrage at the new slave laws being enacted. That _was_ something she always had been fiercely protective of, the rights of others. But these - these monsters didn't _deserve_ rights, not anymore! Even if the majority taken were citizens, there was still a debt to be paid, atrocities to make up for - but she wouldn't understand this. She was still too young. 

It was a problem, a big problem. Chichi had caused a huge ruckus over the issue, not only to him, but in public! She had gone on a rampage, destroying a foreign merchant's entire stock, freeing the slaves he was selling in the process. Of course they had been recaptured, but not without half the capital's police force being injured in the process of restraining the enraged Princess. Her magic was simply far too powerful, and it had taken weeks of negotiating and apologising to the public in order to set them at ease once more. Chichi, in the meantime, had been confined. He had thought about forcing her to wear something to suppress her power, but Ox couldn't afford to have her resisting him even _more._ A heavy sigh escaped him. There just didn’t seem to be a solution in sight.

"Chichi..." Ox shook his head. "You're growing from a little girl into a woman, now. It won't be long until... until you leave my side. He regarded his daughter for only a moment. Her disdainful gaze was too much to bear. How he wished things could be simpler, as they were when she was younger, before this entire mess came about...

"Before that, you need to understand your responsibilities to your people. You know you have to conduct yourself in a certain manner - a respectable manner." He could feel Chichi's power rising, the nervous murmuring of guards and advisor alike as a wind started to ripple around her; but the king held up a hand to silence them. "The incident that occurred at the marketplace - I accept now that-" 

"That I was entirely within reason to act as such." Ox opened his eyes fully, and regarded his daughter with patience in his eyes; even as she interrupted him, openly disrespected him. 

"I _accept_ that you were probably not aware as to why it was such controversial behaviour." Ox frowned. "That's my fault. I should have informed you as to the true nature of the Demonkin. We are not punishing them beyond what is appropriate for the vile acts they have committed to humanity. In fact, if anything we are being fair-" 

"Fair?!" Chichi exploded, and the whole room seemed to tremble with the force of her voice alone. "Fair? By starving them, selling them like produce, whipping them until blood runs into the gutters; by stripping them of every right they have, soldier or civilian, man woman or child?"

Ox shook his head, sadly. "You are naïve, and you will learn. I have someone who can show you _exactly_ what demons are like, why they are feared, and why they cannot be trusted." Ox raised a hand, ignoring the scathing expression his daughter shot him. "Bring him in."

-

Piccolo winced as the guards pulled him forward, heading towards an open door, bright light flooding into the corridor from the open throne room. He blinked several times as the light hit his face. The demon's ears pricked as he picked up on the sheer number of people in the room, and he drew himself up to his full height of seven and a half feet, and put on his most defiant, proud look.

Regal in his disdain, he found himself in a wide room, surrounded by many men - advisors, guards, councilmen and - his chest rumbled in an almost silent growl. The Gyumao - the so called "Ox Demon." He could have spat in disgust. There was nothing demonic about the man! Well, other than his massive size. He pinned his ears, hackles rising subconsciously. It was possible that there was some non-human blood in the Ox King's lines, but Piccolo cared little. But, one person seemed out of place. His eyebrows raised, lips relaxing ever so slightly as his eyes settled on said person.

A _girl?_ She must be the Princess, dressed so richly, looking so very healthy and clean. Ruby red eyes quickly traversed the girl's figure, she was not unpleasant - nothing like the woman of his former court, of course, but still. And there was something... Piccolo's long ears perked, twitching forward. _Magic._ Powerful too, at least for a measly human...Suddenly, the two guards yanked on the chains attached to his neck, and the former prince fell to his knees in a forced bow.

With his arms bound, Piccolo was less able to control his fall. In this weakened state, the former prince nearly smacked his chiselled face into the hard marble flooring. Only his warrior's reflexes and years of harsh training prevented him from breaking his nose. That would have pissed off the demon an unthinkable amount; it was his personal favorite feature, being sharp, elegant, and, unlike his father and brothers', small.

The rather beaky and large nose typical of his family had skipped the youngest heir to the Demons' no-longer-existent throne. Any damage done to the appendage would have added further insult to his considerable injuries. He snarled internally as he realized just how much his abdominals hurt after such a small catch - what once would not have even been felt, drained him.

Which brought his dark mind back to the situation at hand; what was going to become of him? The former Prince's blood colored eyes darted around the room once more. Many people, most of them armed, and all of their eyes on him. And the girl...was this some sort of test? Was he about to be tortured by this furious little tigress? Piccolo had no idea. He had assumed that he was going to become a slave, probably a bodyguard or hard laborer due to his size and - although severely diminished - considerable strength. Yet the atmosphere of the room…so _tense_ ; and pregnant with a myriad of fearful and angry emotions made him think otherwise. Scarlet eyes, sunken slightly into the still handsome face, flickered to the Princess's pretty face.

Piccolo met her gaze, and raised his head to look more clearly at her. Anger was easy to find on her face. Her dark eyes practically glowed with it. The boy - how desperately he wanted to considered a man - raised his lips in a challenging snarl. They could kill him if they wanted to, for he cared not. Better dead than humiliated as a slave, he thought. Piccolo allowed a growl to ripple from his chest, the low rumble filling the wide-open throne room like thunder over the prairie, red eyes locked on the Princess's deep brown.

-

Chichi turned to the newcomer, her eyes widening considerably. Of course he was a slave - but one far different from those she had seen thus far. His eyes were scarlet, and gleamed with a myriad of emotions, simmering under the surface, barely contained. Amongst all of them, fury, pride and vehemence; defiance shone the brightest - defiance of the chains that held him captive, of the collar drawing on his energies, of the Princess herself, who he growled at. It was a quiet sound, but not weak. A murmur of apprehension, revulsion and fear rippled throughout the room, and Chichi could see the guard raising his fist once more; undoubtedly to land a brutal blow on the back of the slave's head.

"No." Her command was sharp, cutting through the tension in the room; as well as whatever held the tongues of those that stood amongst them. The guard was startled.

"But - My Lady -" he was silenced by the sheer force of the girl's glare. Others however, were not.

"The slave defied you openly Your Highness!" one of the Councillors shouted, a few more voices crowing in tandem. "He must be punished!" "How dare he-"

**_"Silence!"_** Chichi roared, whipping around to the startled congregation, who quickly complied; although not with more than their share of uneasiness. She turned to her father, fists clenched. The guard's hackles were raised; for her tight grip on her magic was surely slipping. It wouldn't be long until her anger manifested as such.

The king regarded his daughter with weary eyes. How lost a cause she was fighting for! "Allow me to explain. Standing before you is the son of the fallen Demon King." The King glanced over the Demon with wary eyes. He was so close to his daughter. "He was the next in line to the throne. As you can imagine, he has been the most difficult to tame thus far." His lip curled. "We hoped to make an example of him, but that has...not quite worked out. However, if we cannot make him an example to his own people, we could certainly make him one to you."

Chichi's anger had been steadily increasing with each word that passed her father's mouth, and by the time he had finished, she was trembling. How could he speak of enslaving someone in such casual tones. Her stomach lurched. "And how do you expect to do that?"

Ox settled back in his throne. "By giving him to you." His bespectacled gaze regarded his daughter's paling face with neutrality. "You will learn that these - beasts - cannot act in a manner which conforms to society's standards, and therefore must be controlled-"

"Fuck your standards!" Chichi barked. She leapt forward, energy crackling around dainty hands in violet lightening; frightening the audience and provoking more than a few soldiers to restrain her. Those that approached her were quickly thrown back by the sheer force of her anger. "How dare you think I would ever sink that low? Treating another person as if they were an animal!" Blood rushed to Chichi's head, her chest heaving in an effort to not fire at her own father. "No matter what their King has done, he is dead. The vast majority of the slaves are civilians - innocent!" She rocked back and forth on her feet, knowing the word made her father squirm. “Do you hear me? **_Innocent, I say!_** ”

**"SILENCE!"** Ox bellowed, rising to his feet. Father and daughter glared at one another for a long moment, before the King broke away from her gaze, and slumped back down in his throne, rubbing his temples.

-

At first, Piccolo thought her snarled "no," was directed at him, but it became quickly apparent that it was not. Red eyes flicked from the Princess to the burly guard, fist still raised. Piccolo's lip curled. He did, however, fall silent; merely to better hear the following conversation. Long ears pricked in interest, hard features relaxing an infinitesimal amount as the former prince listened. The girl confused him, for she seemed truly enraged by his predicament. He watched as the fury rose on her face, contorting her features - she was a little dragon, he decided - and listened as the vehemence in her spat words become clearer.

Piccolo scoffed at the king's declaration - beast indeed! At least Demonkin did not keep slaves! And, what was more, demons would not dream of committing half of the acts he had witnessed upon prisoners of war. Of course, this had escalated far beyond a hostage situation. He was about to open his mouth in a retort, but the Princess beat him to it. Piccolo could not help himself as his lip curled up in a smirk - what a dirty word to come out of a princess's mouth. His ears twitched as a thought occurred to him. If she was to be his owner, there was a good chance that he could gain her righteous little heart's trust... She obviously hated the slave codes, and was resisting the idea of owning him. If her father forced her to take him, then she would likely be even more sympathetic to his and his people's plight…

Piccolo's plotting must have shown on his face, for a heavy, armoured hand clubbed him fiercely on the cheek.  The prince snapped, and, despite being dazed, lunged as best he could at the guard who had struck him. Garnet eyes gleaming, fangs bared wickedly. Piccolo was yanked off of his feet by the other guard, landing hard on the marble flooring. The wind was knocked from his lungs, but the prince was too infuriated to care. He could see only red. Any thoughts of acting polite were washed from his mind in a bloody haze.... Piccolo struggled to his feet, glaring viciously at both guards intermittently. "So brave, both of you," his voice was hoarse, a low rumbling growl that was meant to terrify them. "Beating on someone bound in heavy, _enchanted_ chains must be so frightening." A lavender tongue darted out from between his emerald lips as he rasped his next words, "why don't you remove these shackles and we'll see who the better warrior is? No?" He laughed, haughty and wicked, his cunning plan forgotten. "Cowards," Piccolo sneered, and turned his ruby eyes on Gyumao. An unearthly snarl rippled out of his chest, twisting his face, and filling the room with his defiance and rage.

-

The room had erupted into fearful clamouring, with many of the councillors trying to force their way out of the seats; and guards pushing them back in. All the while, Gyumao's thundering voice shook the room, as he struggled to restore order.

Chichi stood amidst the chaos. She stared at the demon; he really did have some guts propositioning their soldiers for a fight, and in such a condition no less. He truly was what she had heard – ruthless and bloodthirsty. The princess knew of his cunning ways, Son Goku had told her himself, and he wasn't one to lie...The noise quickly died down as she approached him, her walk regal, elegant. The soldiers standing on either side of Piccolo immediately stiffened, and one held his hand out warningly.

"My Lady, do not fall for his tricks!"

"What tricks?" was her only response as she swatted the outstretched arm away, stepping close to the demon - very close. She regarded the demon with a cool gaze. "He's fairly transparent."

-

Piccolo smirked, fangs gleaming as he leered down at her. “That's right, she's too smart to fall for anything. Besides," he tilted his head, the decorative, draining collar on full display as he made his neck vulnerable. "What could I possibly do, shackled and bound as I am?" He chuckled humorlessly. "I am powerless."

Piccolo's breathing was heavy from the short display of aggression, and he cursed in the High Demon tongue. He hoped that the noblemen in the room would mistake his exhaustion for the wild excitement of a hunting tiger. Yet the girl in front of him...she would notice the beads of sweat on his forehead, the line of perspiration slipping out from under the jewelled black collar. Piccolo licked his lips.

-

Chichi smirked inwardly. Oh yes, powerless was one way to put it, certainly. Although she had a major objection against the slave legislation, this one was a little too wild to be allowed into general society. He would surely be sold on, and then put to death when he was deemed useless, should his fighting spirit remain unbroken...

"Fine," she said, closing her eyes in barely hidden disdain as she practically _heard_ the heads whipping around to view her. "Bring him to my room in an hour. Do _not_ use more force than is absolutely necessary."

Ox was silent, wide-eyed as his daughter faced him. The fire in her eyes had returned, and he felt scorched under the scorn of her gaze. The princess eyed her father with a renowned contempt. "Mother would be ashamed of you." Her voice was scathing, and Ox lowered his head.

She swept from the room. "One hour!"


	3. Not Quite Submission

An hour later, Piccolo was standing outside of the Princess's private chambers. His posture was rigid, tall and unyielding. He kept his head held high, proud. He was not sure what had changed the Princess's mind, but he was not about to argue. Perhaps his plan would work...but he had to be more careful now. She had just seen a - there was no other way to put it - temper tantrum. It was almost embarrassing, although someone in the throne room had wet themselves at the outburst, so he would live with his carelessness…

Perhaps...if he played his cards right... This little tigress _would_ come to trust him. He had to move slowly, as if he were breaking, bit by bit. And if she fell for his theatrics...and removed the collar, the horrible draining collar that sapped his strength, made it impossible to tap into his magic... Piccolo swallowed a sneer, and kept a straight face. Well, the demon would raise hell, and slaughter his nemesis... Son Goku. 

 

While awaiting Piccolo’s arrival to her private chambers, Chichi had done some intense research on the former demon prince, drawing together multiple sources; soldiers, commanders and royalty alike. Son had kept true to his former testimony, as expected. The rest had described Piccolo as a boy with an unnatural appetite for chaos, blood. She shivered involuntarily. The Princess drew upon her notes, inscribed in foreign symbols. The Elven language was a strict secret, taught by word of mouth alone. Written translations were forbidden. Even her mother had kept true to the practice, and refused to divulge knowledge of the meaning behind the strange, rune-like symbols - to her own husband, no less. She had only taught Chichi. It was a small price to pay for secrecy.

It was not a secret that some - _some_ demons - had a voracious appetite for fighting, for war. It was not so much a general race trait, as most demonkin did not possess such qualities. However, it had become a stereotype thanks to the late Demon King, and probably why the majority of humans; noble or otherwise, had not protested to their forced enslavement. She sighed in aggravation. She had to change it somehow…

Delicately pointed ears flicked at the sound of rustling outside her door. She rose to her feet, stepping forward and pulling back the doors with a flourish.

"Good evening. Come in-" she ushered him over to the balcony of her tower, which oversaw most of the capital city. She began pouring some water for herself, ice cold from a pitcher she had prepared only ten minutes prior. "Are you thirsty?" Chichi poured a glass for him anyway and offered it.

Piccolo was shocked when the young woman pulled him into her chambers, shutting the doors in faces of his accompanying guards. The former prince stared at her, long ears twitching unconsciously as his ruby eyes fluttered between the glass in her outstretched hand and her face. Was she being kind, or was it a trick? He took the offered drink warily, but did not raise it to his lips. It was partly out of defiance, and partly out of how awkward it would have been to drink from the glass. The demon's shackles had been moved to his front, rather than behind his back, so he held it in two hands at mid-torso height. Piccolo said nothing, not in response to her greeting, her offer, not even a "thank you," although he had dipped his chin out of habit whilst accepting the offered glass of water. He still had no idea of what she wanted from him...

Chichi studied the metal cuffs and grunted. She had keys for them - the princess had made a habit of collecting keys, and she recognised this particular kind of lock well enough. She was also a mean lockpicker - her times of being locked up in a tower taught her that skill. But she would not free him. _Not yet._ She leant upon the balcony, white dress rippling in the gentle breeze. Her gaze met his, but unlike the warm friendliness it had been just a moment prior; her brown eyes had hardened. Stone cold.

"I've been told that you have one of the most brilliant, strategic minds that has _ever_ been of your lineage. You devise plans with escape routes, argue with _flawless_ logic; and yet..." Chichi's eyes narrowed. "You cannot see how much your little outburst has cost your very own people. My father will tighten security all over the palace after this. He will order stricter control over slaves, harsher punishments should they snap under the burden of their position; all because _you_ have scared the congregation of politicians, advisors and counselors out of their wits. They will demand change because you went and reinforced their fear that Demonkin are nothing but _violent beasts_.” 

"I am well aware of what it cost!" Piccolo snapped, the threat of a snarl in his voice. His jaw clicked forcefully shut before the childish retort of "he hit me," could fly from his lips. He held his tongue while the Princess continued, stomach churning with the implications of her words.

“My father is a weak-willed man, he cannot bear confrontation; so he finds ways around obstacles. Do you not realise that this is probably what he _wanted_?"She sighed, cupping her cheeks. "My father will enforce whatever stricter laws the councillors demand, they will put it about in their speeches to the public. The public will go into some panic, the media will respond and spread the word, and the news will soon reach other cities, other Kingdoms. Their monarchs in turn will do the exact same thing, and the cycle is perpetuated."Chichi swayed back and forth on her heels, anger simmering in her dark eyes, gleaming.

 The demon’s mind swirled with the sights of children in chains, skin discolored by marks of abuse, being torn from mothers' desperate arms... Piccolo's guilt grew. The entire situation was his fault in the first place. It had been his duty to take down Son Goku, after all, then to lead an attack against Vegeta.

"You do realise that, despite your royal status being revoked, you are still seen as the representative of your people, yes? And you do know, that by having a temper tantrum in front of a King and an _entire board_ no less, that you are condemning your own people to the same prejudices as how people will have towards _you_? Of course, I don't know if you give a _damn_ about your subjects or not." She shrugged. "But I do know that you want to be freed, and you won't go very far if you _are_ without an army.” She did not give him time to reply, continuing, “my father wants slaves. It makes a kingdom more prosperous. He believes everyone has their rightful place in society." Her gaze tore from his, staring out across bright meadows and shimmering lakes. "There isn't much I can do to change that, but others can - but they'll only do it if they think demonkin are to be trusted. And how will that happen if their to-be heir has little more control over himself than an _infant_?"

He closed his eyes, tremors creeping over his somehow still-muscled body. He felt like a child again, being scolded for pulling the cat's tail. And there he was, taking it, not arguing, defending himself.

But then she had the nerve to speak of his people."How _dare_ you suggest that I do not care for my people!" Piccolo fumed, face flushing violet all of the way to his ears. "The life of every man, woman, and child is on _my_ head!"He wanted - desperately  wanted - to tear the princess to pieces right then and there. Anger pulsed through his lithe body, swelling veins and making his breathing hitch painfully. His eyes prickled, but Piccolo refused to succumb to the feeling. He shook his head violently, and inhaled, holding it in his chest for as long as he could, before slowly letting it out through his nose, exhaling thoughts of murder with the air. "A day does not go by that I do not wish myself _dead,_ Princess," Piccolo said, conviction the only thing keeping his voice from cracking and showcasing just how young he really was. "Dead, rather than alive and powerless to free my people and avenge my father." His red eyes glowed, boring into her chocolate. "Never, _ever,_ suggest that I do not care about those whom I have failed." His tone alone could get him killed, even without his words.

Chichi's shoulders slumped. She could see within his hard, garnet eyes the sheer pain, agony that he had managed to repress from reaching his voice.

"I spoke out of turn," she said quietly, privately wondering just how old he was - he must have been around the same age as she, certainly not older. Her gaze lingered on his features a little longer before she turned and walked into her bedroom.The gauzy curtains fluttered behind her as she opened a small cabinet, pulling out a large set of keys. Detaching a small keyring, she placed them back before shutting the panels, placing a hand upon the wood and wordlessly casting an incantation; before returning to her...slave...guest… Piccolo.The princess held out a hand. "Give me your wrist. How many injuries do you still have?"

 Piccolo stared at her, and wordlessly held out his hands. Most of the water in the glass had sloshed over the black tunic, not that he particularly cared, except that he could not now drink it.

 "I...don't know," he mumbled, red eyes studying her face. His cheek was swollen where the guard had struck him, an ugly purple mark discoloring his face. Scars, old and new, criss-crossed his arms and legs, chest and back, torso, and even head. The worst scar he had stretched from behind his left ear to just below the antennae. It was from the kick? punch? that Son had used to put him out of the battle. That was the most noticeable on his visible skin.  Piccolo watched her carefully, tilting his head to the side. "You're...removing the shackles?" He truly was surprised. He knew that there would be no negotiating the collar. That was staying on for quite some time...

 "Yes." And she did so, her delicate hands fiddling with the lock until the heavy cuffs dropped into her grasp. She placed them on the table; Chichi never did believe in making a mess. "You're not going to hurt me, even though you want to." A smirk flashed across her face. "And you're not going to hurt the guards, because you won't have much more reason to other than vengence. Which is understandable, but not advisable.A small smile quirked at her lips at his surprise - and seeming wariness that she had asked him about his injuries. "I can heal your injuries, _but_ -" The princess promptly pushed out a chair. "You need to sit down because you're too tall and I won't be able to reach your face."

 He rubbed his wrists, feeling the raw skin stinging beneath his fingers. His cheek throbbed slightly. Normally, the proud prince would have refused any such treatment, but he supposed to do so would be foolish. Still, Piccolo's eyes narrowed suspiciously, tilting his head away from her and to the side, lips parted slightly. His brows furrowed, ears twitching. Slowly, he lowered himself into the offered chair.

 "Maybe you're too short," Piccolo muttered under his breath, not expecting the girl to hear him.

 "Well excuse me for not having my stilts on today," Chichi shot back, sharp, half-elven hearing picking up his comment. However, a hand moved to hover just above his head, another directly in front of his chest. _What would his heart look like_ , she wondered. "Stay still."It was a whole body heal, and would take longer than her usual bursts of concentrated energy, but he probably had too many for her to heal in that manner. A gentle, white glow enveloped her hands, and soon traversed over the surface of his body. Chichi never touched him, not once. It took fifteen minutes, and five minutes into the process she had closed her eyes. It was easier to do this if she emptied her mind of all the pent up emotion, angry thoughts of that day.

 Piccolo sat stock still as the Princess's hands floated just above his skin, not moving for fear of her hands accidentally brushing his body. When she was done, the former prince looked at his arms; the old, fully healed scars remained, not that he minded, but anything open, or only even partially healed, was gone. Fresh skin, unmarred, had taken the place of the wounds.He looked up into her face, they were just about level when he was sitting.

 "...What do you want from me?"

 Chichi paused. Her hands fell by her sides, limp, as she considered his question. She turned her body so she was leaning on the edge of the table, gazing out to the azure horizon of the sky. "I want you to help me prove my father wrong. He's determined to - to indoctrinate me with these views." A flicker of fear passed over her features at the very thought. "I don't want to be like _them_ … I know the majority of demons don't possess the mental capacity to tap into demonic magic, but because every one of them is born with the _potential_ power, people are frightened." She shook her head, "it's worse in this Kingdom especially because users of arcane arts are discriminated against in general. It's plain ignorance, but my father...he almost _fosters_ it. I'm not sure why. It's almost like he's frightened of it." A pause. "What he is allowing, it-" her teeth gritted. "It's disgusting. If I can prove to the councillors, the politicians, that your kind aren't a threat; then maybe... _maybe_ something will change. I don't know it for myself, but I have to try and show them, but I need your help to do that...The other reason why I want you here is because of what they'll do if you went somewhere else." A shudder coursed throughout her. "Even if you are the bloodthirsty, cunning and sarcastic bastard everyone says you are, no one deserves to undergo that suffering. It's barbaric."

"So you want me to be perfectly well behaved. The picture of an ideal slave." Piccolo's ears pinned, but he said no more. He was quite sure that the Princess was as righteous as she had made herself out to be in the throne room, that it was not some ploy to trick him into behaving, to turn him into her pet. Still, he could not help but feel revulsion at the idea of obeying such a tiny little thing's orders. He could snap her as easily as a toothpick, even with the collar around his neck.He snorted as the Princess divulged her second reason. "There is nothing wrong with sarcasm," the disinherited prince sniffed. " _My Lady_ ," he added as an afterthought. If he was going to be her slave, he might as well start acting like it. Still, Piccolo crossed his arms, remaining seated in the chair. Now that his body was not forced to do as others bade, at least for the moment, he realized just how tired he felt… Piccolo inhaled, exhaled, and rolled his eyes. It was not as if he had much of a choice, after all. Besides, he still had his plan…

The demon sighed. "What does M'lady command?"


	4. A Proposition

 The ball was marvellous – Chichi couldn’t fault her father for a lack of attention to detail. Golden rows of instruments composed the orchestra, polished by white gloved hands until they gleamed. Tables, laid with embroidered silk, heaved under weight of the lavish banquet set out atop it. The hall was already filled with joking aristocrats and giggling debutants, each and every one with a drink in their hand. Yes, Chichi thought, taking in the shimmering, sparkling scene before her, her father had ensured that everything would be perfect. He would have nothing less, after all, for her coming of age ball.

She sniffed and glided back outside, blue silk billowing behind her as she brushed past a pair of peers, arm in arm. Although she couldn’t find fault with her father’s meticulous planning, she was determined not to enjoy herself regardless. After all, that was exactly what he wanted and Chichi was nothing if she was not antagonistic. Her first act of rebellion had been picking a consort over the choice the King had made for her – and she picked the most unsuitable date she possibly could. Her second demonstration of defiance had been the very colour of her dress, a rich, dark blue which spat in the face of her family’s tradition. Their official colour was red, and she did like red; but ever since she had found out she was to be wed off in an arranged marriage by the end of the year she had been less than accommodating of her father’s leaning towards tradition. Thus, it was a blue dress she wore, and it would be the son of the departed demon king who she would take her first dance with - but, he was taking a while, and Chichi was not a patient girl.

Said son glared dangerously at his reflection in the mirror; for he hated what he saw scowling back at him. The clothes he was forced to wear were altogether below him. They made him wear black - the very nerve of it! Black trousers, a black, sleeveless tunic that hugged each and every contour of his body... He raised his lip at his reflection. The only royal purple he had been permitted to keep was his earring; a family heirloom he had desperately protected while his fate was decided. Piccolo's scarlet eyes flicked to the clock, and a curse passed his lips. The Princess would be waiting. She had demanded that he escort her to the ball. Piccolo hated the very idea of it, but as the Princess's bodyguard, he had little choice in the matter. He would have been attending anyway, to chase away any unruly suitors or fight off potential assassins. He snorted, but hurriedly left his chambers, briskly whisking through the palace, headed to the ballroom. There she was, standing outside, and looking around, for him.

_Damn girl._

"Princess," his voice was a low growl...

Chichi whirled around, her hands on her hips as she glared imperiously at her reluctant partner. "You're late," she huffed, the jewels adorning her hair glimmering as she strode towards him; but her gaze softened a fraction as her eyes took in his outfit, and the frustration in his eyes. He was furious. The great demon prince had been lowered to black, a mere peasant’s colour. She bowed her head forward, before taking his arm. "Let's get this over with then," Chichi muttered, pretty face twisted in a scowl. This was going to be a long night. Not only did she not feel sociable in the slightest, but she had to pick a suitor tonight. A suitor! The Princess grumbled lightly under her breath in a very uncouth manner as they walked into the sumptuous room. Chichi could already feel the eyes of men roving over her, unaware that her hand was tightening its grip on Piccolo's arm. This was going to be a very long night indeed.

Piccolo's long ears flicked as she took his arm, but said nothing, allowing her to lead him into the lavishly decorated ballroom. It was a display of wealth, and for good reason too. The King wanted everyone present to be aware of his status, and that marrying his daughter would come at no small price... The former prince looked down at the girl clinging to his arm. He wondered how she had managed to convince her parents that he would make an appropriate escort to the ball. He supposed that it had something to do with his low status as a slave, and no doubt, his prowess as a bodyguard. Piccolo couldn't help the smirk that tugged at his lips, hearing the foul language that passed her lips. He looked back up, straightening his face as their presence was announced to the hall.

"Nnnnnnow presenting, the Princess Chichi, annnnd her Escort." Piccolo barely suppressed a curled lip at the absence of his name. Not surprising, of course, all things considered. He was slave, after all, no longer the proud prince of demon folk. Reduced to this... The Princess's grip on his arm tightened, and his scarlet gaze dropped to her again. Well, he supposed there were worse fates to which he could have been assigned...

Chichi said nothing as people swarmed to meet and greet her, only raising her head in cool acknowledgement here and there; both gloved hands curling into Piccolo's arm to prevent them from being assaulted with sloppy, unwanted kisses from men. One particularly persistent fellow was still trailing after her insisted that she should 'ditch the slug' and go dance with him.

Chichi stopped, her gaze hardening as she eyed the male up and down. "Firstly, my escort's name is Piccolo, and you will address him as such. And secondly," The princess's lip curled into a sneer. "I would rather cut my own feet off than dance with the likes of you," she harrumphed, gliding away from the flabbergasted suitor with Piccolo in tow.

Taking him over to a table, she sat herself before motioning to a waiter. "A pitcher of water," she asked, before turning to her partner. "Would you like anything else?"

"M'Lady should not be thinking of me," Piccolo replied coolly, pushing in her chair before taking a seat. "I am sure that His Majesty has quite the schedule for you." He smoothed out his black tunic, scowling at the red embroidery that decorated it. The garment was highly made, and handsome, but only handsome enough to show that he was a palace slave. He kept his smouldering gaze respectful as he looked out over the ballroom, taking in the dozens of men that had undoubtedly come seeking the Princess's hand. Piccolo huffed quietly. None of them would be excited to marry her if they knew her as he did. Sure, she was pretty, with pale skin and long dark hair that looked like it had been made of a piece of a starless night sky, large eyes, and delicate features, but the Princess had a temper, and a spitfire personality. She was no pushover. He smirked. She made his existence bearable, if only because she reminded him of some of the ladies of his former court.

Chichi sat back, her features twisting in distaste. "Oh yes, he does," she said quietly, her calm countenance in contrast to the indigence that burned in her dark eyes. "Parading me around like I'm some prize cattle, a trophy." Her fists tightened. Her father had insisted, in his bumbling, well-intentioned way that 'it would be the best for her', that this was how it had always been done. Chichi felt deeply offended, how dare he, how dare he raise her with such a liberal and progressive attitude, and then expect her to sit and smile demurely when all of her freedom was to be usurped from her?

Her marriage would not be one of love and commitment, she thought with a sinking sensation in her stomach. It would be an _arrangement_.

It was a while before Chichi realized that she was glowering at her father, and she looked away.

She leaned forward, nodding her head towards the buffet. "So, whom do you think I should suffer my first dance with?” Chichi remarked, referring to Prince Goku, Prince Vegeta and Lord Krillin respectively.

Piccolo's scarlet gaze ghosted over the three suitors, uncaring. He was about to suggest closing her eyes and pointing, when his eyes widened. He recognized the tallest of the Princes. The man had messy hair that stood up in the front, spikes going all over the place, and an annoyingly large smile on his face as he clapped his hand on the shoulder of the bald man, who came roughly up to his waist. His hackles rose as memories flooded back to him. A Warrior Prince at the head of an army, marching on his father's newly conquered lands, strong and noble. He had come to avenge the slain human warriors and take back the land from the Demon King. Oh, how they had fought, Piccolo and this Prince... This... Goku... He remembered being pushed to the side, taking a blow to the head, and being unable to move, helplessly watching as Prince Goku had battled with his father - it had been a bloody fight... And his father... A snarl rumbled out of his throat, red eyes locked upon Prince Goku. It was all _his_ fault.

Chichi's eyes widened at the sudden anger that had rippled from the former prince's throat. "Piccolo-" She started, quickly breaking off as she followed his eye level to the source of his reaction, and her face paled. Oh gods. Of course it would be Goku, only the man who had killed Piccolo's father and caused his empire to crumble right before his eyes, his people sold away as slaves; men, women, children, all of them. Chichi stood up, urgently tugging on Piccolo's solid arm. "Piccolo, we should leave, there's not-"

She didn't have the chance to finish her sentence as Goku's cheery voice rippled across the hubbub of the room. Chichi glanced up, blanching. Goku was walking straight towards them.

The demon ignored his Mistress, eyes set on the approaching Prince. Should he attack, his life would be forfeit. Piccolo was outnumbered, and besides, Goku had already proven himself the stronger. Even if he managed to kill the man, his efforts would be in vain. His father would be avenged, but his people would still be enslaved... And he would be dead. It was not worth it. He swallowed his desire for revenge..for now. "Looks to me that your decision has been made, Princess," the former prince growled, and cast his vengeful gaze to the table, clenching his fists.

Chichi couldn't help the wave of relief that overtook her, but she still felt a flare of anger at Piccolo's words. ''You know this how?'' Chichi murmured cooly, straightening herself to face Goku. She walked in front of the table to greet him, forcing a smile.

Piccolo watched her with a raised eyebrow. "You did not wish for him for him to speak to me," he said quietly. "Though you must know he recognized me from across the room... _M'Lady_..." He looked back out over the crowded ballroom. Indeed, he was sure that everyone knew of the Princess's bodyguard.

Across the room, Goku was busy trying to find wine. "What would she like best..." He wondered aloud. His grandfather was pushing this on him, "It's high time you were married, Goku m'boy! And this is the perfect opportunity!" Personally, he doubted that he was ready, but Princess Chichi seemed nice enough...

Chichi glanced agitatedly over her shoulder. She didn't want to leave Piccolo, but if she didn't then suspicion would start to arouse on whether she was truly disobedient. Whether she liked it or not, her freedom was subject to her father’s whim. She couldn’t afford to anger him too much, lest she have what little liberty she had left taken away.

"Looks like Prince Charming is on his way to the conservatory," Piccolo nodded to Goku, who was carrying two large goblets of wine and headed out of the ballroom. The former Prince stood, and offered her his arm. "Shall I escort you, Princess...?" He watched her closely, although he kept his gaze in the humble manner befitting a lowly slave. He guessed some of the thoughts in her head, and awaited her orders.

Chichi swallowed and gathered up her courage. ''Please,'' she said quietly, slipping her delicate hands around his strong arm. She allowed Piccolo to lead her through the crowds, which seemed to melt away, although she could feel the eyes on them both. She kept her head high, despite the fact her heart was hammering. This was the man she would be expected to /marry/. What on earth could she talk to him about? What did they even have in common? And they would be expected to spend years together...her stomach lurched. It was a miracle she wasn't sick by now.

Goku could see them both, and he waved, although his eyes kept flickering to Piccolo like he was some sort of unnerved animal that would attack at any given notice.

Chichi gritted her teeth, stopping dead. She turned to Piccolo. The hallway was secluded, shadowed, and Goku's attentions were elsewhere, for now. Her eyes caught his, and she forced herself to stare straight into his piercing gaze. ''What would you give for your freedom?'' Her voice was low, her breathing hard. ''Do not answer me as a slave.''

His freedom? Piccolo stared down at her, eyes narrowed and calculating. She was up to something. Princess Chichi was not one to speak idly. What would he _not_ give...? "What do I have that M'Lady does not already possess?" He replied with a shake of his head, "for if there is something, I would gladly give it." He closed his rose red eyes. Piccolo heard the steely tone of her voice, the hitch in her breath. Hell, he could practically hear her heart thumping wildly in her chest. She was scared, but determined to not let it show...what was she up to? The former prince was far more adept at disguising his emotions than the Princess. Piccolo opened his eyes, ruby locking onto chocolate.

Chichi swallowed, her hands balled into fists. Her sharp nails dug into the flesh of her palms, and she could feel a wetness forming there. ''You have knowledge, skills, strength, that I would need if...''Her eyes lifted to the high ceilings, to the carved marble. ''...if I ever wanted to escape.'' Chichi closed her eyes, her jaw tightening as she attempted to reel in her emotions somewhat. ''You are a slave, and I am no better without my riches, my heritage, which could be taken from me anytime my father pleases. I am a commodity now, now that I am _of age_ '' she snarled, anger flaring once more. ''To be married off to a man I barely know or care for, allegedly for tradition; in actuality for money. Power. I have no other role to play. I have no power, no say of what becomes of me.'' Her body quivered with barely contained rage. ''I am a mere woman, a pawn. I will not have it. I cannot accept it. If my life is to become such that I will wither away in some castle then I would rather die.'' Her voice was low. She had never spoken of this to anyone. ''I have my own funds - not money - commodities. Gold, jewels, fuel. That's not a problem...but....I am clueless to the outside world. You, you are not.'' Chichi lifted her head, staring into his burning eyes once more. ''Consider it.''

Piccolo's ears flicked, and he nodded once. There was a fire in her eyes he had witnessed before...in his own reflection. She desired freedom, just as he did, but he would have to think about this carefully. "I shall," the demon bowed courteously, "Prince Son Goku approaches, M'Lady." He straightened as Prince Goku neared them, and stepped back, a respectful distance.

Goku watched Piccolo suspiciously. He had not heard what had passed between the two, but the Princess looked angry. Had the former prince said or done something? While feeling no particular protectiveness towards the young maiden he was supposed to marry, the young man did not trust Piccolo in the slightest. He was dangerous! A demon, a sadistic murderer, a _brilliant_ tactician and fighter...Goku shook his head slightly. He had not slain the Prince along with the King because it would have wrong to kill someone who was unable to fight back. Prince Piccolo had down and out, dying from his wounds, when his father, King Piccolo had joined the fray. _That_ had been a battle to the death...

"Evening, Princess," he said cheerily as he approached. Goku hoped he did not look too silly, wearing his family's traditional garb of all orange - although he had also donned a royal blue cape that his Grandfather said looked quite fetching on him. Goku, however, thought it was all too much. He bowed awkwardly. "How're you doing? Ehehe…"

Piccolo's ears pinned at the mere sound of the other man's voice. How different he was on the battlefield. It was all he could do to not kill the man on the spot! With a controlled breath in through his nose, Piccolo awaited his Lady's next orders...

Chichi could feel the tension in the air from the moment they were both in the same airspace. The princess sighed, smoothing down her dress. ''Piccolo. Take the rest of the night off,'' she said, her gaze lingering on him before she swept away, forcing a smile on her face as she approached Goku. ''Come, your Highness. I'm sure we have much to catch up on since we last met.''

Piccolo looked sharply at her, narrowing his eyes. Was he allowed to do that? His red eyes flicked from side to side for a moment. He had orders to protect her, and yet she had just told him to leave... Piccolo hesitated a moment more, and bowed just enough to be polite, before turning to leave. Prince Son Goku was an honourable man, after all, and no harm would come to the Princess.

Goku was more than slightly surprised that the Princess had just sent away her bodyguard. Although, he supposed, the demon could not be very pleasant company. He offered her a broad smile. "Lead the way," he said, offering her his arm.


	5. A Lapse in Judgment

Goku was more than slightly surprised that the Princess had just sent away her bodyguard. Although, he supposed, the demon could not be very pleasant company. He offered her a broad smile.

"Lead the way," he said, offering her his arm. "I brought wine, I uh... Set it down over there."

It was not that Piccolo was unpleasant that Chichi sent him away - far from it. She had come to enjoy his company, his wit and sharp tongue. Rather, it was her fear of the demon doing something rash should Goku provoke him, which she guessed, given his previous reactions, would not be difficult.

Chichi smiled tiredly at Goku, hands gently grasping the crook of his arm as she glided along to the glasshouse, breathing in the comforting scent of flowers and damp earth. It was one of her favourite places in the palace, and it relaxed her slightly as they approached the crystal table where their drinks were placed.

Piccolo could give her freedom. She inhaled deeply, smiling sweetly at her potential suitor. Once, even just two years ago, she would have been thrilled to marry him. Goku... How his name had once set her heart a flutter, a comely flush to her face. It had never been a secret that this handsome, genuinely kind young man had once enamored Princess Chichi. Goku was... She exhaled.

 _Goku had signed the declaration_.

Kind hearted, gentle Goku had signed a declaration that meant the torture and abuse of children. How could he have done such a thing?

She doubted it would be long either, until Piccolo made his decision, and she had a feeling he would not deny her; after all, it was his only chance of getting out of here alive... She swallowed a frown, wishing she were not serious. Piccolo almost undoubtedly be killed, or sold then killed, by her husband.

Possibly even by Goku.

''So, Goku,'' Chichi said, seating herself comfortably, putting thoughts of the slave from her mind and plucking a nearby rose from the stem. ''How have things been of late?''

"Oh, I dunno," Goku pulled out a chair for her, looking around the magnificent indoor gardens. "Quiet, I suppose. A little boring." At first, the peace had been wonderful...but now...I'm restless," he answered honestly, forgetting all about courtesy and plopping himself down in the other chair. "You?"

Chichi's brow quirked. _Restless?_ That seemed like a rather privileged response, but it was one that intrigued her nonetheless. As did his shoddy manners. '

'Much the same,'' she answered laxly, sipping at her wine. _Gosh, this was a big glass_. ''I would like to go hunting but my father isn't allowing me.'' Another sip. ''I broke my legs the last time I went.''

Goku picked up his own rather large wine glass.

"How'dja do that?" He asked, trying the wine, and happy to find it quite pleasing on the palette.  "What were you hunting?" Goku took another sip. The wine was strong and sweet. He had never had such a drink...

''Was hunting poachers in the forests,'' Chichi sighed, taking a larger sip after she spoke. ''Father thinks it is very important to protect nature. To not take needlessly.'' Her dark eyes flickered over Goku. There was a sort of boyish charm about him, with his spiky hair and wide, open face. ''These bandits just wanted animals for traditional medicine,'' she muttered, sniffing. ''Their teeth, bones, et cetera.  They had a Mage with them. Blasted energy at us, and the next thing I knew I was falling.'' She shrugged. ''I like to hunt to help keep my combat skills up.'' She rolled her dark eyes expressively before adding ''But Father won't let me anymore, as I have mentioned.'' She tilted her head. ''Is there any particular reason you feel restless, if you mind me asking?''

“Wow, you're really brave!" Goku exclaimed, leaning forward. "Hunting poachers...wow." He shook his head appreciatively. _And a fighter, by the sounds of it! There was more to this girl than meets the eye..._ at her question, Goku sighed and rested his chin in his hands. "For years, I was out on crusades; fighting evil, defending my Grandfather's lands... Out on Treasure hunts, rescuing damsels in distress..." Goku huffed. "For the past year or so...it's all been official stuff." He took a gulp of his wine, "So _boring._ I don't want to sit around and rule a kingdom. I want to go out on quests..." He sighed wistfully.

Chichi nodded, feeling a twinge of sympathy; which may or may not be alcohol-induced, as the wine glass was at least half-empty now.

''Yes. My father used to be much more liberal with me as well. I used to enter fighting tournaments under aliases, I was allowed to roam as much as I pleased. That all stopped...around the same time it must have for you.''

"Yeah!" Goku was feeling a little tipsy at this point. That was good wine...and there was plenty more! "Wait," he paused, "your father allowed you to r-roam while King Piccolo's men roved the lands?" Goku took another sip of wine. "And stopped you _after_ his defeat?"

Chichi nodded, absentmindedly noting how everything else seemed to move a fraction later.

''Father wants me t' act like a lady now.'' She made a face, taking another swig of wine. ''Wants me to find a good, rich prince to marry, settle down n' have lotsa babies.'' She groaned theatrically. ''I mean, I _would_ like all that but...not now!... I'm too young. And too pretty.'' Another swig. ''I'd love to...explore the lands more.'' Her look was dreamy. ''Just...do more than be some princess...y'know?''

Goku nodded, mind fuzzy.

"Yeah, you're pretty alright," he agreed. "Really pretty." He stood up, and held out his hand to her. "Dance with me. W-weeee dun need," he hiccupped, "music." "So let'z, dance. For Freedom..."

''Gods, you're so cheesy,'' Chichi giggled, stumbling as she rose to her feet, and literally falling into Goku's broad chest as she attempted to walk to him. _''Oof_!''

Goku giggled, catching her clumsily and staggering backwards, tripping and sprawling out on his back with Chichi on his chest.

"Oops!" He paused, looking at the pretty Princess laying on his chest. He rolled onto his side, Chichi next to him in the flowers. He took in her pretty face once more before pressing his lips to hers, wrapping an arm around her waist.

Chichi hesitated, eyes widening for a moment before reciprocating... What was the harm, really? Something was bothering her, poking at her and saying "this is a bad idea" but she could not think of why. And it felt nice, the blood pulsing under their skin, kisses getting sloppier by the second. The warmth of his arms, his lips. She looped her arms around his neck, giggling from the effects of the alcohol, the utter absurdity of their positions.

On her back, her knees on either side of Goku's waist, his body pressing against hers, her dress hiking up with their movements...

 

It was not until later, _much_ later, that either one of them came remotely to their senses.

 

"We're _not_ going back in that ballroom," Chichi hissed, panicked tucking her hair back behind her ears, uncaring that jeweled barrettes had fallen from the inky locks. It was unlikely that they would be found amongst the foliage. "Absolutely not." Her breath was hitching, head pounding. Her lower body was sore.

"Wha' time is it?" Goku slurred, somehow sounding equally panicked, "how long were we out?" Chichi did not care, and desperately fixed her dress, smoothing out the skirt and checking for flowers or dirt.

"It doesn't matter!" Chichi covered her face. What the hell had she been thinking? She still did not know, still more than tipsy. That must have been a good, old wine. Damn it all. "I shouldn't have dismissed - oh, just, just tell my father I will talk to him tomorrow and have retired to my room!"


	6. Tragic Irony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning: may trigger those with emetophobia, or a fear of vomit

Chichi moaned miserably as she managed to expel the last of the contents from her stomach into the bucket. The princess moaned weakly when her throat burned as she inhaled; gut churning at the stench of her own vomit. Her skin was almost grey in pallor, which only emphasized the dark rings underneath her eyes.

This was it. A missed period, and now sickness, all because of that one, stupid, _stupid_ mistake she had made. The despondent princess balled her fist and slammed it down onto the tiled floor, a sharp cry punctuating the silence before she dissolved into dejected weeping. This was the worst thing that could possibly happen at this point in time, for not only had she disgraced herself, but she had unwittingly played right into her father’s plan for her to be married. Now she would have no choice but to marry a man who didn't even want to be a _king_ , never mind tied down with a wife and child.

Her sobs began to taper off as her despair reduced to a dull ache. Dark eyes stared at the ceiling, devoid of their usual spark. There was no point in crying, for that would not change the situation she was currently in; but it was so difficult to see light of it when her future stretched out endlessly before her. She would be a mother – a _mother,_ of all things, when she could barely bring herself to accept the idea of an arranged marriage! Oh, she wanted children, and plenty of them, but not now, not like _this_ – it wasn’t right, it wasn’t right to bring a child up in a loveless home. Chichi couldn’t fathom what her life would have been like had her parents not loved one another. She remembered how they laughed together, how in love they were, even when her mother had died so long ago. It was an aspect of her childhood that stuck out far more than anything else, and it formed the foundations of her ideals where relationships were concerned.

How ironic, Chichi thought, that her father would be forcing her into something so different than what he always said was best for her.

-

Piccolo's ears flicked as he heard what he knew to be flesh on tile. He frowned. The Princess had not been herself lately; she seemed lethargic and avoidant of any interaction that wasn’t required. His ears twitched and perked as they picked up her sobs, and his scowl deepened.

He usually avoided being in her chambers, but...Curious; he glanced up and down the hall. There was no one in sight. He turned around and opened the door to her room. She was in her private bathroom. His lip curled in disgust as the smell of sickness assaulted his senses, but he shut the door behind him and strode purposefully to her bathroom. "Princess?" Piccolo asked gruffly, forgoing feigned politeness as he awaited an answer.

Chichi groaned, feeling her stomach lurch once more. She had been avoiding everyone, even Piccolo, who she typically relied on for whatever she needed. She didn't need his judgemental stare, not now. But at the same time... Chichi stared down at her stomach, her eyes brimming. She was so lonely, and she there was no other she could confide in. They would tell her father, and she would be locked away until her marriage. The Princess began washing away her soiled bucket, before moving to the sink to clean her hands, rinse her puffy eyes. The princess stuck her tongue out at her own reflection; she looked like hell.

"Come in."

Piccolo's fingers curled around the doorknob, twisted it, and entered; trying and failing to stop his nose crinkling in disgust at the smell. His gaze swept over her.

"Princess," he began, and stopped. "What is wrong?"

Chichi stared in the mirror, not seeming to acknowledge his presence. Her skin was a greasy white, lacking colour; her eyes had become sunken and dull with exhaustion; and her hair was scraped back into a severe bun. _So much for a motherly glow_ she thought sardonically, sneering at the sight. She turned to the former prince, whose wariness wrought his elegant form into a tensed coil. A laugh escaped her, one that bordered on hysteria, as she realised just how cautious and out of place he looked. The former demon prince was in her bathroom, looking as cagey as a cornered animal, all because of an emotionally unstable teenage girl.

Her laughter dwindled as she took in his rather irritated expression, the contempt in his eyes. _Oh, you’re no fun_ , Chichi thought, just as a wave of dizziness swept over her.

Piccolo’s eyes widened, and it was only his sharp reflexes that stopped her from falling and cracking her skull on the porcelain bathtub.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Piccolo hissed, trying to calm his heart, which hammered against his ribcage. He closed his eyes, breathing in and holding it before exhaling in a controlled manner. When he looked at her again, he could see that she had come back around, but the dullness of her usually sharp eyes unsettled him in a way he couldn’t describe.

''I'm pregnant,'' Chichi said simply, her tone flat before a shudder overtook her small, frail frame.


	7. Arrangements

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who's been reading! We hope you're enjoying it as much as we enjoyed writing it!

Pregnant? Surely not...

 

“I'm pregnant and now I either have to get married to a man who doesn't want to be a _King_ , never mind have a wife and child!” she trembled in his arms, “or I refuse marriage and _lose_ my child.” She pushed away from him, a wave of dizziness overtaking her. “I cannot. I _can’t_. I don't know what to do.”

 

Piccolo stared at her, tilting his head to the side. _How could she_ \- his garnet eyes bulged - _when she had dismissed him, at the ball_. She wavered again, and he snatched at her arm, eyeing the tub behind her.

 

"You mated with Son Goku," he stated, voice flat. Despite the control he held over his voice, his hand tightened reflexively on her wrist. It was not an accusation. Piccolo read the terror plain on her face. Chichi let out a soft sob, not at his hard grip or his tone, more that he was reiterating exactly what she hated herself for doing.

 

“It's the worst thing I have done. And now, this.” She gestured to her stomach, shaking her head, trying to hold back tears. “I can't have a child, living and letting it grow in a loveless marriage. That would break me,” she whispered. “But...if they find out, and I refuse, then it'll be…” Chichi swallowed thickly, stuttering. “I-it'll get...no. _No_.” She shook her head, dispelling the horrible thoughts of what could - would - happen to her child should she remain, before looking up at him again. “I need to...to leave. It’s my only choice.”

 

He looked down at her, her words from the ball reverberating in his mind. The former Prince's eyes narrowed slightly, before he relaxed his grip on her wrist. "If I help you, will you grant me my freedom?" He asked, gaze intense. "If I help you to find a new life, get on your feet, you will set me free?" His breath quickened, red eyes locked on her face.

 

Blood rushed to Chichi's cheeks, her eyes widening. He was going to... _really_ going to help her? But, of course. She had offered him his freedom - why would he turn that down?'

 

“Yes,” she said breathlessly, closing her eyes as another wave of dizziness overtook her. She had to eat something, it had been at least three days since her last meal. Chichi opened her eyes, fixing his piercing gaze with hers. “Yes. You have my word.” The princess took a deep breath, exhaling some of the anxieties she felt. “We need to make plans. Preparations.” She placed a hand to her forehead, “but I need a bath...and food....”

 

With ease and surprising gentleness, Piccolo lifted her and set her the counter.

 

"Pardon me," he muttered as he did so. The demon pushed the filthy bucket with his foot into a corner, eying it with distaste. He knelt by the tub, glancing over his shoulder at the ashen Princess, and began to draw a bath for her. Piccolo waited until the water was a proper temperature for bathing before standing up and returning to her. "Take a bath, I shall request food to be brought from the kitchens." He set her down gently on the edge of the tub, her bare feet in the warm water. He paused before standing, unsure if he should help her undress. Piccolo decided against it. She was not so weak that she could not undo some buttons. "After you are clean and have eaten, we shall...discuss...this scheme." Piccolo fixed her in a ruby red stare, "and be warned, Princess, that beyond your father's kingdom, the lands are wild and untamed, cruel." His vision went hazy, remembering the days of his freedom; roving the countryside and conquering in the name of his father, collecting and hoarding treasures, seeking out worthy opponents... Would she change her mind, back down as he half-expected her to? Or would she prove to be as strong as one of the Demonkin?

Piccolo gave her one last hard stare, before standing. "I leave you to your bath, M'Lady." He turned and swept out of the bathroom, leaving her private chambers and flagging down a passing maid, whom he ordered bring food for the Princess, who was not feeling well.

 

"Poor dear has been actin' odd," the obviously frightened woman tittered, looking the tall demon up and down, "must be her moon-sickness... Oh dear," she chattered, seeing his glare, and bustled off to the kitchens.

 

 

Chichi stripped herself, settling in the clear, hot water, exhaling heavily. She still couldn't believe she was in this situation - it was surreal, as if she were in some horrible dream - pregnant and taking advice from a demon slave so she can avoid being pushed into a marriage she doesn't want, a life she couldn't live. To imagine that her biggest worry prior to all this mess was looking fashionable enough for a party! 

 _Still…_ she mused, this was how things had turned out for her, and Chichi knew she would have to make the best of it. Her hand gingerly touched her stomach. Even if she were to remain a single parent... at least she would have her freedom. _That’s all that matters now._

After a bath and a meal, Chichi looked and felt considerably healthier, a rosy flush returning to her cheeks as she renewed her determination to live life as she wished. She scooped up her hair into a neat bun, dark tendrils of hair curling around her face and setting off her pale beauty. She dressed herself in a simple, navy cheongsam and stepped out of her room, waving down a servant.

 

"Send for Piccolo," Chichi ordered, before shutting the door back over. Her hands grabbed a map and she sat on the floor, spreading it out and making mental notes.

 

Piccolo glided briskly back to her chambers, a small satchel of herbs clutched in his large hands. It was best if she did not continue to be sick, and these plants should help to ease her stomach. Most were simply peppermint leaves, as chewing the fragrant plant could help settle the stomach. Others were truly meant for morning sickness. They were hidden beneath the peppermint. He reached her chambers and knocked twice, awaiting permission to enter. Piccolo glanced up and down the hall, keeping a weather eye out for other beings. He saw only a few slaves and servants, and most of them fled his presence.

 

Chichi had already began planning on where she wanted to go. Her Kingdom was not particularly large, but it was the center for a good sum of trade; primarily crops and plantations that could not grow in the harsher regions of the land. If she could get away from the city, and away from the perimeter still, she would be able to travel at her own pace until she found somewhere suitable to settle and have her child. Being a child of green lands, Chichi had been hoping for a secluded, forested home, but that would leave her vulnerable to being discovered, as all of those areas were under her father's rule. She sighed.

There were also the various continents that had been conquered by King Piccolo, but those had been relinquished to various rulers that were in Goku's good books, and planned to stay there. She growled in frustration, before she heard a knock at the door.

"Enter."

 

Piccolo swept inside neatly, bowing and closing the door behind him.

"M'Lady," and handed her the satchel of medicinal herbs. He cast his ruby gaze over her maps, and blinked once. The demon sat down lightly, crossing his legs, and beginning to pick at the horrid black tunic he despised so much, worse still was more-than-decorative collar he had to wear that suppressed some of his more powerful magics... _Soon_... Piccolo's scarlet eyes flicked to the Princess's face, meeting her gaze. He spoke in a low, quiet voice, although more than a little of his characteristic, regal disdain crept into his words, "What is M'Lady planning to do?"

 

Chichi dug her hand into the bag of herbs, and pulled a few out, smelling the characteristic minty scent. "Well that largely depends on whether my father thinks I'm alone or not," she sighed, pointing at the map. "If so, his first point of search will be in the deeper forests, since I know my way around there and that I'm just in some bad mood - he won't bother too much. If he notices that you are gone as well, however, then he'll think I've eloped with you and instigate a nationwide search." Chichi paused, smirking lightly at the idea. "Then he won't go near the forests that much because he'll be too busy searching your former territories to see if we're holed up out there. I know the forests, so I'd rather risk going through there first." She began chewing at the leaves, "my other concern is being discovered, however," she raised a brow at Piccolo's outfit. "And you'll definitely seem a little suspicious with my palace's work wear."

 

Piccolo curled a lip in disdain.

"If M'Lady would pardon me for a moment," he did not wait for her permission to speak, and continued on, "it is far more likely that that His Majesty would believe I had kidnapped M'Lady with plans to ransom you for my freedom." He shuddered, the very _idea_ of it! He, Prince of the Demonkin, eloping with a _human,_ even one with elven blood, like the Princess. "Although, the rest of M'Lady's statement is perfectly logical." Piccolo tugged at the offending tunic and pants, "As for my garb...what does the Princess suggest I do?"

 

Chichi's grin widened at his disgust, _oh how she loved poking fun at him, the snobbiest slave she had ever met._

"I'll find you some new ones. I'll try and emulate your royal wear." Her dark eyes focused on his collar. "And as for that..." she nodded at it. "... Soon."

Soon enough, in her own good time. She would have to see if he could be trusted. Thus far, Piccolo had been a good servant to her, but she had yet to work him out completely... she would have to get to know him better before she could risk removing the blocking collar.

Her hand moved to her stomach, touching it absentmindedly. "When do you think we should leave?"

 

Piccolo's eyes widened slightly, and he touched the collar; a black metal inlaid with various stones holding suppressing magic. It was a clever bit of work, for it drew renewing energy from his body, the very magics it was designed to suppress, and therefore never needed to be replaced. _With it off..._ He shook his head once.

"Soon," Piccolo murmured. "Within the next two weeks." His red eyes flicked to her abdomen. He knew not when human women began to show their pregnancies, but they had to be long gone by that point. He reached for one of the maps, tracing a route along it with one of his claws. "Does M'Lady plan on crossing the sea?" His finger paused on a far off harbor, claw just touching the decorative ocean drawn in.

 

Chichi nodded.

"It would be the best course of action. My father will be searching my kingdom... I doubt he thinks even _I_ have to audacity to do such a thing.... but... How long would it take to reach... here?" She pointed to a more eastern coast, a land still largely rural, but civilized.

 

Piccolo's red eyes took in the location she indicated, and calculated the time and distance mentally. "Five weeks if one travels light, fast, and goes unhindered." He gestured back to his original harbor, "this route would take slightly longer, and pass through...less tame lands at first, Princess..."

 

Chichi nodded, biting her lower lip. "Alright," she murmured, her hands balling into fists. "That's the route we'll take then…” She sighed, “the other thing I wanted to ask was... what kind of things should I take?" She shook her head. "I know I have travel lightly... _very_ lightly...."

 

“Clothes - _sensible_ clothes - blankets, food that will not spoil - dried meats and fruits, hardtack biscuits." Piccolo tallied items off on his long, elegant fingers, "a covering for M'Lady's face and head, water and skins to carry it." Piccolo met her gaze, "I can begin to gather supplies, discreetly. In the mean time, I would suggest that M'Lady begins regaining her strength and acting as normally. Claim to had a particularly painful cycle, should anyone ask at all, and discuss plans for your marriage with His Majesty when He next comes to talk." The demon stood. "Is there anything else M'Lady requires?"

 

Chichi opened her mouth to say something, before closing it and shaking her head. "No. That will be all." She began chewing her lip again, her hand shifting to her forehead as she stood, clutching the small satchel of herbs. Opposite her stood the man, the demon that would help her towards her new life... or her death, if she neglected to remain cautious. Still... for now, she trusted him, she _had_ to. Chichi had no other choice.

 

Piccolo approached the door, opened it, bowed to the Princess, and backed out of the room. Before he closed it, the demon spoke one last time, "if I were you, I would put that away, M'Lady." Piccolo tilted his eyebrows at the maps, then closed the door with a click. He remained nearby, as was his job, but the demon slave kept his wits about him, sharp red eyes watching the halls and passing servants. He would be ready... It would be easy enough to steal food scraps, hoard a blanket or two, gather wine and medical supplies... Piccolo would get the girl across the sea... Or if she did not make it... Either way, he was free. And when he was free... A cruel smile parted the former Prince's emerald lips, revealing gleaming fangs. Well, he would raze the earth, gather his kindred... Free his people... And slaughter Son Goku. His eyes burned with a violent fire, hackles rising as bloodlust pumped through him. Impale that bastard's head on a stake. Rebuild his father's empire...Piccolo shook his head, "patience," he murmured to himself. He had to gain her complete trust, make her believe that she could take this damn collar off... The demon took a deep breath, exhaling the rage and hunger. There was a good chance that the fiery Princess would never make it to her destination... _All he needed was the collar off..._

 


	8. It Begins Now

A full week had creeped by since her and Piccolo discussed their plan of escape. Since then, Chichi had allowed her father to offer her hand in marriage to Son, but only because she had no intention of staying around for it. She couldn’t help but feel a little wistful, not for the marriage as so much the wedding day – she had always wanted an extravagant service fit for a princess. Her dream day would be just that – a dream, with no chance of ever being realised if she were to run away. There would be no jewel-studded dress or castle in the sky for her, but there would be freedom; and she would choose freedom over any gilded cage, no matter how comfortable it would be.

It was simple enough to pull together the things Piccolo had instructed her to. Dried food and preserves were taken from the pantries in the dead of night; her own wardrobe had an assortment of hunting and training gear that she could use and she knew where to find survival supplies within the castle. She stocked up painkillers - many, many painkillers, assorting a basic medical kit in case she would ever require it. And somehow she had managed to discover Piccolo's clothing measurements (how she had managed it the former Prince would rather not know) in order to stock him with some more fitting clothes than the awful tunic he was forced to wear within the palace.

Piccolo had done much the same, when he had not been fantasising about crushing Son Goku's head beneath his foot. The hot-headed princess soon grew agitated, and although her anxiety was amusing, Piccolo had no other choice but to keep his promise. She was his only way to freedom - those small, pale hands which had barely worked a day in their existence were the only ones capable of freeing him from the damned collar. He would simply have to wait.

-

Chichi paced her room, checking her clock periodically. Piccolo told her that tonight would be the night of their escape - the guards that were on patrol had poor vision, and they would be able to sneak away without a fuss until the next morning, perhaps even longer if no one thought to check on them. Her stomach churned, grinding a peppery leaf between her teeth with extra vehemence. Where had that insufferable demon got to?

Piccolo whisked down the darkened halls, a heavy satchel strapped on his back. He saw no one, as was expected. Scarlet eyes flicked around the halls again before he entered the Princess’s room, not bothering to knock beforehand.

"Is M'Lady ready?" Piccolo asked, voice a sibilant hiss.

Chichi flinched, whipping around to see Piccolo glance over her, critically. She scowled. ''Wh- Yes.'' Scooping up the rucksack with a hand, the princess slid out of the room. Everything was pin-neat, as if she had never been there in the first place. 

They began to make their way towards the kitchens - there was a back entrance which they could easily escape from, undetected by the main guards.

“Out the back door from the kitchens, thorough the small wall gate and then straight across farmland until we hit the forest." Piccolo held the door open for her, waiting for her to pass before slipping out and closing the door. As it clicked behind him, he grabbed the Princess by the shoulders, spinning her around and staring into her wide eyes. "No going back now... Princess."

Chichi was startled as Piccolo seized her, his piercing, scarlet gaze locking with hers. Did he truly think she would turn back? For what? Of course, she would miss her riches, her luxuries, and she would never have them again; but she would have her freedom, the ability to live a life she chose for herself...having only glimpsed what that would be like through the eyes of others, she craved it even more. Her hand touched her stomach. She needed it now, more than ever. Not just for her, but also for her child.

“I'm not a princess,'' Chichi stated tersely, her shoulders squaring up under Piccolo's strong grip.

He quirked an eyebrow and released her. "So you say," the demon growled, and began leading the way out of the palace, ears pricked as he peered around. He held out a hand and listened for a moment before continuing, and they reached the wall without incident. The demon checked again, looking around one last time, before opening the gate. He easily removed the heavy bolt holding it closed, pushing the gate open. "After you," he motioned for Chichi to exit.

Chichi nodded, slipping past Piccolo's intimidating frame, her eyes darting over the plains. Of course, there was no one there, but she would be ready for confrontation until they managed to venture deep enough into the forests that she would be sure of their solitude. Chichi knew the woods like the back of her hand. At least if Piccolo tried anything she had a few back-up plans. The princess doubted it would come to that; however, considering she and she alone had the ability to release him from the binding choker he wore, it was certainly a possibility.

“Give me but a moment, Princess." The demon shoved the gate closed behind her, replacing the bolts. Puzzle the morons for a while. The palace walls were incredibly craggy and rough. He smirked; for despite that they didn’t pose a challenge for him. Piccolo pulled himself up the wall, pausing on the wall top for a moment before leaping over the edge, landing like a cat besides his charge. "Not knowing what gate through which we left may help us to throw them off."

Chichi growled. ''Call me princess again and I'll put off removing that choker,'' she snapped, before peering across the farmlands once again. The crop reached her waist, but Chichi was light enough on her feet. She walked over to the rows of wheat, delicate hands running across feathery stalks, before breaking into a swift run.

Piccolo grinned wolfishly, watching the fiery girl running across the fields. The demon followed her, catching up to her with ease. She had a temper, he knew that. He just wondered if it was front...although judging from their past interactions, he doubted it.

It felt wonderful to run again…of course, he was forced to slow himself down to compensate for the girl's pace. Although he was slightly impressed by her athleticism, it would not last. Piccolo frowned. And they had to be long gone before her condition hindered her too much…

At long last, they reached the end of the fields and the relative safety of the dark trees. Piccolo slowed to a walk, turning around to see what sort of trail they had left. The wind was already blowing away the trail, although there would be broken stalks of wheat left.

"How are you feeling…?" His voice trailed off, unsure how to address her in any way not indicative of her royal status.

Chichi stretched out her slender arms, face brightening as she looked into the gloom of the forest. At least she wouldn't feel so clueless for a little while! Dark eyes darted towards her somewhat unusual companion before she shrugged. ''A little tired,'' she admitted, having not slept much the night prior; kept awake by a mixture of apprehension and excitement for the events that lay ahead. Her hand stretched out to touch the weathered bark of a tree. ''But good.''

The heiress stepped forward, her figure becoming partially shrouded within the shadows of the woods. Her heartbeat picked up, reminiscing of the days she would hunt here, feet barely touching the ground...''How about you?'' she queried, glancing behind her as she stepped in deeper, her gait much more relaxed than previous.

Piccolo trailed close behind the runaway, sharp eyes watching her. She walked with an elegance befitting her status as a Princess - former Princess. "I am fine..." the demon growled brushing past her. “We need to walk through the night. Get across the river I saw on your map, and far enough to keep ahead of pursuers. We'll need to find a safe place to hole up until tomorrow night." Piccolo’s heart quickened. He was on his way to freedom.

Chichi nodded; her pace quickening to keep up with the demon's long strides. She was glad she had decided to trust her instincts to ask Piccolo to accompany her; yet she knew it would be unwise to even contemplate removing the collar unless she was certain she could trust him not to run away or kill her. Her eyes focused on the jewelled choker, admiring the glimmering gems studded across it. She of course had a few enchanted weapons of her own, should he get out of line, but she would rather not waste them on him. No, Chichi thought, she wanted to save them for a real emergency; for when her pregnancy became too much a strain for her to use her own magic.

They came to the river. Chichi admired the burbling stream for a moment before leaping across, landing gracefully. "There's a little clearing just up ahead," Chichi said, glancing behind her. "Should I collect firewood?"

Piccolo shook his head before joining her on the other side of the water. "No. We must leave as few traces of our passing behind as possible." The demonic slave stalked through the trees, reaching the clearing of which she spoke. "The nights are not so cold that one would freeze to death without a fire." Although he supposed that the pampered Princess may not be able to handle the slight chill. He, on the other hand, was more than used to being cold. He was a fighter, a warrior, a Prince. _Show me you are more than a_ Princess the demon thought, red eyes watching her as she walked alongside him.

Chichi paused, before nodding. "You're right," she conceded, although she wrapped her arms around herself as she padded into the clearing. _Perhaps I should cuddle him for warmth while he sleeps_ Chichi mused, smirking wickedly as she dumped her bag down on the ground. The girl wriggled her shoulders, yawning and reaching to pull her hair out its bun, allowing the dark tresses to fall over her milky neck.

She dug into her bag, pulling out a thick cloak and wrapping it around herself. "You do know that human gestations last for nine months... right?" the Princess piped up, as it suddenly occurred to her that the demon  may not realise just how long he'd be stuck with her.

Piccolo had already settled himself down at the base of a large tree, eyes closed, a rolled up cloak as a pillow. At her words, his eyes sprang open, although he said nothing for a moment. "You are...seven or so weeks in?" the demon asked, calculating silently. "Unhindered, it will take between five and seven weeks to reach a harbour, then...the sea." Piccolo rolled on his back, eyes gazing through the treetops at faraway stars. "Depending on where you wish to sail, the journey could be days, weeks, or months." He interlaced his fingers, settling his hands on his broad chest. "It could be that you reach your final destination carrying your child not in your womb, but in your arms." _Should you reach your destination at all._

"Now," Piccolo murmured, closing his eyes once more. "I would suggest getting some rest. At dawn's first light, we press on, find a hiding place, and rest until sunset."

The one positive about pregnancy was that Chichi felt too drained to fuss over the lack of feather pillows or the slight chill that ghosted over her skin. As she laid there, staring into the velvet darkness of the night sky, she even felt something akin to anticipation wash over her before the sounds of the forest lulled the runaway into a deep slumber. 


	9. Dark Histories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings: 
> 
> \- mentions of gore  
> \- minor hallucination (as in vivid memory)  
> \- supernatural entities

Morning found Chichi waking earlier than expected - she could not remember the last time she had risen before the sun. It was not pitch black, but more than a few stars still struggled to be visible. She was not complaining, however, and trudged out of the clearing to the nearby creek; ivory hands bringing clear water to her parched mouth and tired eyes. 

Amidst the calmness of the forest, Chichi felt a surge of determination, of purpose. She knew the journey ahead would be long and hard, fraught with danger, but...Her fingers grazed her stomach. She had a purpose now. 

The former princess had not bothered to check if Piccolo was still asleep or not. The demon would to her in his own good time, if he awoke before dawn struck.

Her limbs moved as she slipped into a series of tai chi forms, moving from one to the next with grace, her movements fluid. She might as well utilize this newfound focus, whilst she still felt it.

Piccolo's sharp ears had picked up on the girl's movements. He had never been a particularly sound sleeper. He opened his eyes and watched her head back towards the stream, watched her work through the forms. 

"Keep your knee from extending beyond your foot," he said, sitting up and eyeing her critically. "Otherwise you increase the risk of injuring yourself." His red eyes ghosted over the rest of her. She had very good form, besides the knee, and there was fluidity to the girl's movements that _almost_ impressed him.  Piccolo rose to his feet with grace befitting a tiger, stalking over before mirroring her. "One's strength comes from the core," the demon's movements were incredibly smooth as he changed forms, a quiet noise leaving him as he froze in the new position. After a moment, the demon straightened, and crossed his arms over his chest.

Chichi was still and silent as she watched Piccolo slip with practiced ease from one form to the next, marveling quietly. Of course, she would never admit that she was admiring his skill in the _slightest_. That would just go to his head. Instead, she adjusted her position following his critiques, and finished.

The light scattered across the forest floor brought her attention back to their current situation, and she glanced up to the sky.

 "How long do you think it'll be until they find out?" Chichi asked, her hair lifting in the gentle breeze as she gazed at her unusual companion.

 Piccolo squinted as he looked heavenward. It was roughly an hour past dawn. He frowned, and inwardly cursed himself for his carelessness.

"It all depends on when His Majesty decides to discuss the details of M'Lady's wedding," he pivoted on his toe and returned to where he had slept. "It would be best if we started moving. Find somewhere far ahead to hide until dark."

Chichi made a face at the mention of her wedding-to-be had she stayed, and nodded.

"Indeed," she muttered, lifting the cloak and wrapping it around her shoulders, slinging the bag over an arm. Chichi took a cracker out of the side pocket, placing the corner in her mouth before walking on. "Why do you still refer to my father as 'His Majesty'?" Chichi queried, glancing sideways to the demon. "You need not be polite to me either."

Piccolo's eyes slid from the trail ahead to the girl.

"Habit," he replied dryly, and picked up his pace. The two continued through the forest without much trouble for several hours, and it was beginning to make the demon uneasy. "Are there _none_ who live beneath the trees?" he hissed, eyes darting from side to side, seeing neither bird nor beast. "I find it difficult to believe that we are the only sentient beings roaming these woods."

Chichi glanced at the demon, surprised, before she realized that he probably had not had enough time in their Kingdom to hear some of the common superstitions.

"Oh we're not. There are wraiths and spirits here," Chichi remarked casually, as if she were discussing curtains. "This area used to be an execution ground for those accused of sorcery. The tortured souls still wander in limbo, and occasionally curse those who come through here. That's why there are no animals or people here. Don't worry. I can lead us through here." Chichi said cheerily, smirking. "My grandmother was a priestess. She taught me some magic to ward them off, hence why we haven't been bothered."

The demon' hackles rose, a low snarl bubbling up in his chest.

"Wraiths?" He hissed, rounding on the runaway princess. Piccolo's red eyes darted to and fro as he scanned the tree, not sure whether or not to believe her. "If this is a game," he bared his fangs menacingly.

"I thought you _knew!_ " Her hands met her hips as she glared at the taller male. "Why else would no one come here? These forests are out of bounds. _Which is why we’re going this way_ ," she snapped. The girl shook her head. "I used to play in these forests when I was young. We'll be fine." Chichi sniffed and walked on, her head held high, before looking behind her. "Although it wouldn't do you well to remain too far from me." A smirk flitted across her lips.

Piccolo snarled viciously, although he directed it at no one in particular, and quickly caught up to his haughty traveling companion.

"You were allowed to play in haunted forests as a little one?" He was more than slightly incredulous. His own father had been extremely protective of him, and killed any who so much as looked at him the wrong way. "But _gods forbid_ you select your own mate?" 

"Anything to keep up a good image," Chichi replied with a sigh and a frown, flicking strands of long hair out her face. "My father treated me like a boy up until I hit fourteen. Let me run around doing whatever I pleased, fighting poachers and bandits along with the soldiers." She sighed wistfully. "It was good combat practice. He wanted me to stop so I could act like a proper lady..."Her fists clenched. "Damned hypocrite claims to be progressive yet he keeps slaves and wants to trade his sole heiress for a bigger Kingdom." His ears perked, recalling her loud objections to being given him as a present. Piccolo raised a hand to the jeweled collar around his neck, claws making a tinkling noise against the cold metal. He knew she would not remove it yet…but a reminder would not hurt.

Chichi did not respond at the metallic sound of his choker, barely suppressing the urge to roll her eyes. _Nice try,_ she sneered internally, stopping to stretch her arms out. Chichi blinked, and pointed. There was a small, secluded area, sheltered by a canopy of thick leaves.

"Let's stay here tonight."

Piccolo's curled slightly, although he was not surprised. Should their places be switched, he would be tying her up while he slept, not trusting the heart of one such as he...However, he nodded and followed her, looking around the campsite warily. "You are familiar with the entire area, correct?" The former Prince could not shake the feeling they were being watched...

Chichi sighed contentedly as she dumped her bag, rolling her tired shoulders.

"Yes. And like I said, no one can come here but me." She curled up, using her bag as a rest for her head. Her fingers dug into the satchel for a few crackers, dark eyes gazing up into the inky blackness of twisted branches and thick foliage. "What was it like? Being the Prince?"

“What was it like being a Princess?" Piccolo sneered, digging a canteen from his bag. His expression sobered, however. "It was difficult. I had to constantly be on guard, waiting for one of my brothers to attack me... I was Father's favorite, despite being the youngest." He unscrewed the lid and took a sip of water. "Everyone wanted to be next in line..." He sat the canteen to the side, expression hazy, "so we all tried to kill one another."

Chichi did not even have the chance to retort before Piccolo spoke of his brutal history. Her eyes widened; a contrast to her paling skin. He had never divulged his story to her before…

"You... your brothers _killed_ each other?" she whispered, almost in disbelief... but not quite. She had to keep in mind that he was the son of a conqueror, a violent ruler. "... Just for power?"

Piccolo held up his hands in front of his face, seeing Cymbal's blood dripping from them in his memory.

"I waited for them to slaughter each other before making my move..." The demon dropped his hands, still not looking at Chichi. “And killed Cymbal. My eldest brother. He was the biggest and the stupidest." Piccolo's eyes narrowed. "I always thought that I would have to battle Tambourine. But..." The former Prince shrugged. "Somehow, Cymbal got the better of him. Overpowered him before Tambourine could outsmart him. As Tambourine fell, Cymbal turned to me, turned to me, and," Piccolo's breath hitched, the scene coming back to him, "and said ' _Now it's your turn, Little Brother_ ,' and lunged at me." His expression twisted in an unidentifiable emotion. "Had the fool waited until he had the chance to recover...You would be making this journey on your own." 

Chichi stared at the demon. For once, she had nothing to say - how could she possibly? He had just admitted to killing, _murdering_ , his own kin, and yet... he was attacked first…

Unconsciously, Chichi's hands touched her stomach. She would not let anyone touch her child like that. _Never, ever, ever_.

"But... your father?"

“What of him?" Piccolo asked, arranging his sparse belongings around him. "As I said, I was Father's favorite. He kept Drum, Piano, Cymbal and Tambourine away from me until I was big enough to defend myself. He trained me daily, and bade me stay alert." The demon's ears flicked, absently picking up on noises in the trees. "He was proud when he found me, covered in Cymbal's blood. Asked me what my plan had been - he never _helped_ me," Piccolo added, "that would have been cheating my brothers’ of their chances to rule." He fell silent, seemingly troubled, and looked at his hands again.

Chichi felt her stomach churn at Piccolo's words - his casual tone did not hide the perturbed expression he wore, and she suddenly felt an overwhelming rush of sympathy. To be raised by a man that would be _proud_ if you murdered your own brothers...But, she reminded herself, that _did not_ excuse him for doing it. The runaway decided it would be tactful to drop the subject for the night. She gazed at his shadowed figure for a while more, before eventually tearing her eyes away.

"Goodnight, Piccolo," Chichi said quietly, curling up into herself and closing her eyes.

Piccolo did not respond, looking at his hands for a moment more, feeling his Father's arms around him, whispering words of pride in his ringing ears, _"I knew you could do it, my little one... You always were the smartest, the quickest to think on your feet... You are now my Heir Apparent..."_ a pang of loss hit him, as a very different, but equally bloody memory surged into his working memory, and he closed his eyes against it, shaking his head.

"No," he hissed, barely audible, as the image of his father's corpse, eyes open and blank, staring, filled his mind. Piccolo's stomach clenched, and he dug his claws into his arm, the pain bringing him back to reality. After that, the demon decided it would be best to try and rest, and settled down into his back, unsettling images dancing around him...


	10. Knowing Me, Knowing You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tw: violence, supernatural entities, abduction

Piccolo dozed fitfully, having become accustomed to sleeping outdoors long ago. The years spent roaming and ravaging the land with his father, however, had taught him that danger was at its most potent when one was caught unawares. Thus, even during sleep, Piccolo was vigilant. His ears were pricked, twitching to the sounds of the forest night and pulling him from his slumber every hour or so. It didn’t perturb him too much, for he knew that his hearing during sleep failed to differentiate between the mundane and the menacing.

What did alarm him was the sensation of _fingers_ wrapping around his ankles - ice cold fingers, lacking flesh or human warmth. Piccolo whipped his head around, snarling at the unseen threat. He tried to sit up, but found that he couldn’t move his legs for the force restricting his feet. “Who goes there?” The demon demanded, a threatening growl rippling from his throat. “Show yourself!”

The girl beside him stirred, rousing at the sound of his voice.

“Whass’it'?" Chichi groaned, her eyes blearily darting around in response to the disturbance. It took a few moments for her to register that she wasn't in her old bedroom. Oh _gods,_ that was right - she had ran away, hadn’t she? And...they were in the forest. Which was perpetually silent. So the only source of sound that could be aside from herself was Piccolo.

"Picc'lo," the princess mumbled, swatting at the space where his body should have been before her drowsy mind realised that he wasn’t there. "Where are you?" The girl stumbled to her feet, rubbing her eyes. "Are you peeing? Can I open my eyes?"

**_"Aahhhh!"_**

Piccolo did not even bother trying to muffle the scream that tore from his throat. The spectral hands that had seized his ankles were now trying to pull him away from the cave, yanking him towards the looming undergrowth. There, multiple pairs of eyes and sharp smiles seemed to flash out from the darkness, which only exacerbated the demon’s panic.

 **"Get OFF of me!"** Piccolo's claws latched onto a tree, the rough bark tearing his fingers. The wraith's yellow eyes were staring right through him. The former prince _knew_ fear, but he had always been able to fight back before! He kicked his feet furiously, hadn't that damn girl said she knew some sort of magic to ward these creatures off? And, on that note, shouldn't _he_ have some sort of power over them, or did ghosts not listen to demons? His bloodied hands were torn from the tree, and he tried to blast the offending spirit, but his collar would not allow him to do so. Piccolo roared in fury. He was going to die...

Chichi flinched, cursing under her breath as she sprinted over. A long, thin staff materialised under her fingers and she twirled it, a white spark bursting from the end.

"Hands off! I saw him first!" Chichi snarled, thrusting the staff forward. An arc of energy almost akin to lightning shot forth, hitting the wraith, which recoiled sharply with an unnerving hiss. The spectre lingered, as if sizing her up. Chichi gritted her teeth, irritated. "Back off!" Power surged through her body, causing the weapon’s tip to fizzle and explode. Her head snapped around, sensing the mass of spirits surrounding them. She spun the staff in her hands and jabbed it towards the centre of the clearing. Her shoulder slumped in relief as the spirits began to draw away, discouraged by her display of power.

"They're gone," Chichi said, walking towards the disgraced demon. "Are you alright?"

Piccolo panted as sweat dripped from his face, soaking his neck and chest. He inhaled deeply, holding for a moment before exhaling, wide red eyes flicking to her. "I..." He pulled up the leg of his pants, rubbing his ankle and checking it for injuries. Thin scratches, slightly bloody, adorned the joint. "Will be fine..." His tunic was torn to shreds, and the demon peeled the remnants from him, stuffing them in his pockets. "Let's...let's pack up now and continue." Piccolo knew he looked and sounded as shaken as he felt, but he cared little at that moment. He only wanted to leave this horrid place. He would get no more sleep that night.

''Piccolo,'' Chichi murmured, but there was little point arguing. She watched him move back towards the canopy, following behind. ''I...I can cast a protective barrier, if you want...''

The demon shook his head, taking a swig of water from his canteen. His throat was parched, raw from his screams. "We would be up in an hour or so anyway..." he trailed off as he noticed a few glowing eyes, all of them trained on him. His hackles rose and he snarled, flaring what little demonic energy he was able to gather. "Why do they not attack you?" He unconsciously shifted closer to her, watching the spectres in the trees.

Chichi ignored him, grabbing his wrist and turning his hand palm down. ''Because my grandmother practised necromancy,'' Chichi began, raising her palm above his. ''She would help spirits here move on to the afterlife. Eventually, she gained their trust, so to speak.'' She muttered a few foreign words, and a set of runes appeared on the back of the demon's hand. The spirits that had been lurking previously slid into the aether, uninterested. ''And this 'spiritual community', so to speak, recognised my mother and myself as her descendents.'' Chichi released him, satisfied. ''We have very similar energy signatures. That's why.''

That made sense, Piccolo supposed, swallowing. He was more than a little relieved when the dead disappeared. He looked down at the back of his hand, and frowned, brows creasing. These runes were unfamiliar to him, which confused the demon more than a little; demons had a gift with languages, and he had studied and learned many. "What does this say?" He asked, gesturing to his hand.

Chichi was already rummaging around her bag for some dried meat when Piccolo asked her the question. ''It’s a spell: _Custodiat animam meam_ ,'' she said, shrugging. ''It keeps your soul within the confines of your body. If they can't remove your spirit, they aren't interested.''

She bit into a piece of pork, chewing thoughtfully before adding ''but try not to flare up your demonic energy. That'll attract them, because they'll recognise you as something more... _entertaining,_ to play with.'' Chichi raised a brow.

Piccolo was very thankful it was still dark, perhaps she could not see his skin blanch. He quickly relaxed his power, allowing it to dissipate. "Not like there is much to show off," he growled in an attempt to regain some face. Imagine, the Prince of Demons needing to be _rescued,_ and by a mere human at that! His brothers' ghosts would be laughing at him for sure. Yet he remained close at her side, keeping a wary eye out.

After an hour or so of walking, the sun's first rays began to creep through the thick leaves, although the light of early dawn was too weak to truly aid their eyesight. "I would hazard a guess that the Court has realized you are missing by now," Piccolo said after a long length of silence. He cast her a sidelong glance, "will your ghosts scare horses enough to keep any pursuers coming this way on foot?"

''Yeah, definitely,'' Chichi affirmed, biting into her seventh cracker. ''Animals are much more sensitive to spiritual auras, and anyone else that comes in here will have to fight their way through, and they won't be doing that very quickly without another necromancer,'' Chichi remarked. Certainly ''her'' ghosts would take it upon themselves to make it as difficult as possible for anyone else to pass through. ''As soon as we're out of here, I need two things.'' She began ticking both priorities off her fingers as she spoke. ''Number one, I need an actual meal. I can hunt myself. Number two, I need to wash somewhere.'' She gestured to her now rather grubby robe with distaste.

"Speaking of horses," Piccolo sniggered, watching as she ate. If she slapped him for the remark, he deserved it, and would not retaliate. "I thought we were _conserving_ food." The now shirtless demon contemplated her following words for a moment, and looked down at his bare chest. "Were you able to find me other garments?" The black trousers were still mostly intact, and he greatly desired to be rid of them.

''Screw you. You aren't ruining this for me,'' Chichi said, triumphantly popping the last piece of meat in her mouth. ''And I'm pregnant, bucko. I'm eating for two, as they say.'' Chichi stopped in her tracks, blinking at Piccolo's words, her eyes flickering over his bare torso. A hand clamped over her mouth, and she couldn't resist a girlish giggle. ''Oh, sorry! I've got a spare set of clothes for you.'' She patted her bag. ''I got your measurements and had a set made up. Bribed the tailor.'' She shrugged. ''Although, you're probably best leaving putting them on until we reach a stream or something. Once you're clean!''

He tilted his head to the side, raising an eyebrow. Why was she giggling so? It was not as if she had never seen a shirtless man... Besides, that horrid, clingy black tunic had left little to the imagination in regards to his own body. The demon looked ahead, still confused as to her behavior. "Humans," he muttered under his breath. Piccolo rolled his eyes and carried on, "hurry up then, Girl. The sooner we get out of these woods, the better."

Still giggling, Chichi ran forward, past Piccolo and breaching the outer edge of the forest. ''There's a lake here!'' She yelled, dropping her rucksack and looking around. ''Can you see anyone around here? I don't want people to _see_ me!''

Piccolo misunderstood the emphasis, taking to mean that Chichi wanted their quest to remain secret. He rolled his eyes, but looked around. The lake was large, and dark blue. He frowned. It would take forever to walk around it - the stupid thing had looked smaller on her map. Ah well, there was nothing to be done about it. The demon looked around, and saw no sign of life besides himself and the runaway Princess. "I see no one," he replied, depositing his satchel on the bank above the wave line and undoing the belt around his waist. He dropped his trousers onto the sand, stepping out of them and walking out into the lake. The water was a surprisingly pleasant temperature, and he waded out into deeper water.

''Oh alright. So, who will go first, me or--''Chichi turned around unwittingly, and stopped still, eyes widening and blood rushing to her head as she saw Piccolo's....Piccolo's.... everything.

''PICCOLO!'' Chichi screeched, flailing and covering her eyes as he made his way into the water. How could he be so nonchalant? Why did he get stripped in front of her without saying anything?! ''You could have _said!_ '' Chichi wailed, mortification filling her entire body. She saw it. She saw _IT_.

Piccolo jerked around in surprise, automatically assuming a fighting stance at her scream. Where was the enemy?! Red eyes blinked in confusion, brows furrowing as he spotted no threat. He straightened up, "What are you yelling about?"

''Why didn’t you warn me that you were going to undress?!'' Chichi demanded, her hands still covering her eyes, and most of her flushed face. ''I saw your...'' Chichi gestured '' _thing!_ ''

Piccolo squinted at her, face scrunching up for a moment before his eyes widened in comprehension. Nudity was _private_ to humans. He looked down, then back up at her flushed face. The demon's features screwed up in a mixture of morbid amusement and disgust before smoothing out in a natural mask of perpetual disdain. "What were you expecting?" he replied dryly. "Now hurry up and get in, bathe, then get dressed. We have no time for such frivolous, childish behavior."

If it were possible for Chichi to turn redder, she would have. Her hands whipped from her eyes, seething quietly, too angry to feel embarrassed. '' _Fine_ ,'' she snapped, stripping of her cloak, and beginning to unbutton her dress. ''But don't look!''

A delighted shiver coursed through her body as she waded into the lake, reaching up to untie her dark hair. She dunked her head into the clear water, massaging her scalp; inhaling sharply as she brought her hands to her face, smoothing them through her wet tresses to squeeze excess water out. Chichi had long forgotten what it had felt like to bathe outside - the last time she had was when she was a little girl.

As the princess slid her hands over herself, the incident was forgotten in its entirety. The lukewarmth of the water was a pleasant contrast to the slight chill of the air. A light breeze elicited goosebumps over her shoulders, and she threw more water over her body to compensate for the heat loss.

Piccolo watched her out of the corner of his eye, cocking an eyebrow as he took in her slender form. She was...not _unpleasant_ to gaze upon, at least. The demon shook his head and turned away. He scrubbed sweat and grime off of his body, splashing his face and sighing contentedly. He too, had missed the freedom of bathing out of doors. He had been cooped up in the palace for far too long. Once Piccolo finished cleansing himself he stepped out of the lake before squatting on the bank; rummaging through his satchel until he found a rough, tattered blanket he had brought along to use as a towel. Piccolo swiped it over his body, getting most of the water off of his hairless figure, before wrapping it around his waist. He rolled his eyes as he did so; the silly girl was going to have to learn to deal with seeing his body, and having hers be seen by him. This was not going to be a short journey, after all. "When you are finished, I would like my new clothes." Chichi had said that she would try and...emulate his royal wear. Honestly, as long as it was purple, he cared little what it looked like.

''Right,'' Chichi called back, squeezing more water out her hair before wrapping it into a tight bun once more. The lack of fringe made the girl look even more youthful, and she couldn't help the wave of self-consciousness that washed over her as she stepped out of the water; a chill prickling over her skin.

She dried and clothed herself quickly, grunting as she delicately snapped a bra on. Her breasts were already tender to touch. _Great_ , Chichi groused inwardly, before turning to the demon once more; fighting off a flush at his - almost - naked form. ''Here,'' Chichi said, picking up her bag once she had buttoned up her shirt, pulling out a bundle of purple and white; handing it to him. ''And this.'' Her hand produced a blue sash, and she laid it on top of the clothes she had given him, before biting her lip and turning on her heel, facing away from him. ''Tell me when you're done.''

Piccolo's eyes widened and his ears perked up, pricking forward. He took the clothes and turned away from her, sliding into the new pants with something akin to reverence. He tied the sash about his waist, and pulled the shirt and cape over his head. The cape had a hood, which he flipped up over his head and ears. It cut off his peripheral vision, but shaded his eyes from the sun. It would be appreciated later on. Piccolo adjusted the sash once more and whirled around to face his companion, the cape fanning out behind him. "I feel like myself again," Piccolo breathed.

Chichi turned around, her eyes lighting up as she saw Piccolo in his new garb, clasping her hands together. Yes, it certainly did suit him indeed; and he even appeared to have a whole new air about him, regal, dangerous. Striking was another word that came to mind, as her eyes dipped over the sharp angles of his face and body, complemented by the flowing fabric. She gave a single nod. ''It suits you,'' Chichi said quietly, a broad smile splitting her face. She wasn't quite sure why she felt such contentment at seeing Piccolo restored to a state closer to his former glory, but she wasn't going to question it.

The demon's eyes gleamed, and he watched her gaze travel over him. He wanted to run, to leap into the air, to fly, and raze villages, pillage, slaughter... The Prince's lips pulled back over his fangs, and he grinned devilishly at her words. Suit him indeed. "You were very close to what I used to wear," he said to Chichi, raising his eyebrow. He should thank her, he knew that...but...The demon blinked once. "We should get moving."

Chichi crossed her arms under her chest, frowning. ''That's all very good Piccolo. But...'' Her foot stomped on the ground. ''Where are your _manners_?! Ugh, honestly, if I'd have known you were this rude I'd never have bothered!'' The former princess put her hands on her hips, lips pursed. ''Say 'thank you'.''

Piccolo drew back as the girl leaned into his personal space, eyes widening and a violet flush blooming across his cheeks. He opened his mouth, fangs poking out from under his top lip. It could have been cute, despite his harsh features. "Ah," the demon took a step back, relaxing as the distance between them increased again. "I..." He had never thanked _anyone_ for _anything_. Piccolo swallowed. "Th-thank...you..."

Piccolo's apparently sincere gesture - and she was taking it to be sincere, since the demon wouldn't dream of stammering voluntarily - pleased her, and she straightened up, smiling. ''You're very welcome,'' she cooed, storing away the memory of his startled expression. ''Let's go!'' There were a few flowers around the banks, and she periodically scooped down to pluck at one or two, forming a modest bouquet in her hands.

It was a very disgruntled demon that followed the runaway Princess on their journey around the Great Lake. Piccolo's new cape fluttered and flared behind him, catching in the breeze and giving him an imperious look. However, he could not help but wonder at her fearlessness of him. He was no ordinary demon after all. Was it just the collar that made her so brave? Surely it was not only that. She had powers as well, as he had learned in the forest. He crinkled his nose as details of the early morning encounter came back to him. "What did you mean," he asked, "when you told the...wraith that you had 'seen me first?'" He eyed her suspiciously. She wasn't planning on doing something to him, was she?

Chichi had by now, collected a rather impressive amount of flowers, and was contemplating braiding one into her hair when the demon spoke up. She flushed, remembering her statement - did she truly have to explain it? Her gaze dipped. It was a stupid thing to say, in retrospect, but her emotions had been running high due to battle. Feeling tired, she plopped herself down on the ground, shrugging off her rucksack. ''I...I just....''She looked up at him. ''It's like...they wanted to take you away. Saying that I had 'seen you first' was kind of like...it's like saying, ''back off, he's mine''...'' her voice trailed off into an embarrassed mumble. ''It's...a statement of possessiveness....like, 'do not touch'. I know it sounds stupid,'' she added, wincing. ''But you wouldn't be able to do anything to them...with or without the collar. Trust me. So I panicked a little bit. I didn't want them to harm you.''

He gave her a sidelong glance, still standing. The girl sounded sincere enough, and he nodded curtly. Piccolo sat down next to her, keeping a little ways away from her. "You do still think of me as 'yours,' then?" he asked, shaking his hood from his head. The demon was not sure what he thought of that. It did not surprise him, this was only their third day away from the castle. Piccolo opened his satchel and dug the map out of it, spreading it out in front of him, and studied it silently.

Chichi froze, before bowing her head again. ''There's a difference...'' she murmured, but she shook her head. Perhaps he was right, perhaps she was just treating him like she owned him...She was torn - why _did_ she say that? Chichi barely knew anything about him, and didn't bother to ask. She cringed, her own limited viewpoints had just came through once again.

''I'm sorry,'' she said quietly, fidgeting. Her hands moved to the flowers, and she began arranging them into delicate bundles.

He lifted his head, garnet eyes locking on her. "For what?" He spoke without emotion. Piccolo could not see his companion's face, as her hair had fallen over it. She was playing with the flowers she had gathered, dividing the large bouquet into several smaller ones. He raised an eyebrow.  A gentle breeze picked up a few of the flowers, and his hand instinctually snapped out to grab them out of the air.

Chichi flinched at his sudden, reflexive movement; tension draining from her body again as she realised what he had done. ''For assuming possessiveness over you,'' she answered, rearranging the flowers once again. She dipped into her bag and pulled out several ribbons, tying the thin stalks together. ''You have an entire life I know nothing of and yet I assume to understand you.''

Her gaze met his. ''Are we done travelling for tonight?''

“If you are too tired to continue," the demon said quietly, looking to darkening sky. "There is an hour of daylight left, and the moon should be almost full." He turned his piercing gaze on her, "we should make use of any and all light to stay ahead of any of your father's men." Piccolo thought about her words a moment more, "if...if you wish to ask a question of me," he hesitated, "I do not guarantee an answer, but...it would not be harmful to know a little more about each other."

Chichi immediately perked up at his latter words, and she bounced a little on the spot. ''Really?'' The statement seemed to energise her, and she shoved the little bouquet in a side pocket of her rucksack, picking it up once more. What should she ask? How many questions she had! ''Alright!'' Her gaze cast over the land. ''I can walk a little longer...'' She pointed. ''Past this lake?''

Piccolo looked slightly surprised, but stood, shouldering his satchel. "Alright," he set off, glancing over his shoulder to check that she was following. She looked altogether too excited at his offer. Piccolo shook his head slightly, a smirk playing on his lips. Humans were strange creatures, that was for sure.


	11. The Trouble with Demons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings:  
> \- Blood  
> \- Violence  
> \- (possessed/evil) animal death

As they continued their trek around the massive lake, Piccolo’s large ears picked up on a far-off sound, perking. It was... _familiar_...

The screams of men.

He wondered if she had heard it, glancing at the girl. It was undoubtedly a group of their pursuers meeting a horrible fate in that wretched forest. Still...it was likely that at least a _few_ of them would escape and make it out on this side... His eyes flicked to her again.

"We may have to carry on beyond the lake, Girly." 

Chichi flinched, having heard the sound. A shudder coursed through her - and then she checked herself. These men, if they found her, would lock her up, and kill Piccolo - kill her _baby_ , if she refused marriage. Her _father’s_ men. No. _No_. That was not happening. Straightening her back, Chichi stepped forward, channeling forth her ki.

“Stay there,”  she ordered, as her hands began to glow. She muttered softly, her voice barely audible as the very air around them seemed to shift and distort. Her wrist flicked out. “Take my hand,” Chichi said, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Piccolo heard the command in her voice and did not argue. He wrapped his long fingers around her small hand, feeling the unnatural heat emanating from her. _What was this magic?_ The demon's hand squeezed hers reflexively. 

Feeling the reassuring grip of his hand, Chichi uttered some words in a foreign tongue. The effect was almost instantaneous. The horizon wavered, twisting into itself as a blue ring formed around them both; the image of the surrounding area becoming more warped, more distorted. But as quickly as the mirage appeared, it was gone. Chichi sighed, releasing Piccolo's hand as she gazed out into the distance. Something in the air had changed, ever so slightly. “Let's go”

“What did you do?” Piccolo asked, looking around in confusion, and feeling slightly disappointed. With the amount of energy she had been giving off, he had expected something spectacular…

“Mirage,” Chichi replied, her heartbeat jolting as she heard the cries of soldiers in the distance. "For the soldiers, it should be enough to keep them wandering and confused until it wears off. Which could be either tomorrow morning or a few days." She bit her lip, hurrying behind Piccolo's billowing cape. "Or if a mage dispels it, but there aren't many in my kingdom...”

They trudged onward, forgoing sleep as the moon was full and it seemed a waste to sleep through the bright light while they were still fresh and full of vigor for the journey ahead. Hours past, and the land shifted from vibrant greenery to a more rough, mountainous environment.

Chichi glanced at her reluctant traveling companion, remembering his earlier offer.

"What kind of powers do you possess...?" 

Piccolo squinted skyward, it was almost dawn. They needed to find a safe cave or something to hole up in for a few hours to rest. The demon shrugged in response to her question.

"I can fly...or at least I _could_... Form explosive energy blasts..." He tugged at the collar, agitated. "Although I am left with my more... _human_ powers..." Piccolo experimentally leapt into the air, gaining great height before falling back to the ground, landing with catlike grace. "Although I suppose I am not as weak I had feared...nor _certain people_ had **_hoped_** , no doubt," he drawled, obvious disdain dripping from voice.

Chichi gazed at the studded collar after he fell back into step beside her. She could technically tune the repressive qualities to allow Piccolo more freedom but... she did not feel that would be wise, for a variety of reasons. Firstly being that she did not trust him as of yet, and secondly because she had no desire to end up on her own if she were to accidentally tune it too high… She had no doubt that he would flee should she make such a mistake. 

The craggy mountains and bluffs would offer plenty of coverage when the duo decided to rest, although foraging for water or food may prove difficult… The two froze as a predatory growl sounded from the sparse foliage. Piccolo's large ears pricked, his head whipping around towards the sound. His pupils dilated as he stepped between the runaway princess and the predator hiding in the bushes. A warning snarl curled his lips and rippled out of his chest through his throat, though his red eyes looked eager for blood, claws practically itching to rip apart flesh…

Chichi stepped back, her eyes wide as the beast revealed itself, a snarling, drooling mass of teeth, fur and muscle. The closest to an animal it resembled was some kind of hyena, but much bigger, and much uglier. Fumbling, Chichi summoned her staff and hastily cast a protective spell over Piccolo, who seemed eager for a fight. She shuddered. Had he worn the same expression when fighting his brothers...? The beast let out a low growl and pounced, causing Chichi to cry out in surprise, a bolt shooting from her staff and hitting the thing's leg with a low hiss.

Piccolo's eyes flicked to her in annoyance, and he pushed her back, causing the girl to fall back on her bottom, before the bloodthirsty young demon lunged at the creature. They collided in midair, the hyena-like beast's massive jaws snapping for the demon's jugular, but Piccolo clubbed it away with a well-aimed elbow. The beast fell back with a howl of rage and pain, shaking its ugly head and leaping at the demon once again. Piccolo dropped to his hands, spinning and catching it with his shin. The beast flew across the trail, colliding with a large rock.

Chichi grunted as her rear hit the ground, too distracted by the collision of demon and beast to become irritable. The next thing she knew was that the creature had ended up on the other end of the path. It was staring at her with empty, almost soulless eyes. Before she could blink, however, it had made a leap for Piccolo again, intending to tear him apart. 

Piccolo grinned wickedly, ducking beneath its body, the beast landed awkwardly passed him. The demon sprang forward, right fist catching the beast in its open mouth, destroying its teeth even though it tore some of the flesh on his hand. Blue-black demon blood dripped from his hand, the stinging pain awaking his old self, carrying with it the screams of the battlefield.

"Come get me," he snarled, baring his fangs and holding his arms wide, exposing his chest, "come at me you pathetic excuse for a _demon_ ," for demon it was. There was no mistaking those eyes. The beast was possessed by some weak, formless devil-spirit that relied on leeching the life out of another being. They were not related to demonkin such as Piccolo, despite the shared name. "I be you were wishing you had your own body, don’t you now? Rather than needing to take over something so weak. _Come get me._ " 

Chichi blanched. That thing was _possessed_? Her suspicions were affirmed when the thing let out an unearthly howl and leapt towards its antagonist, sharp claws sinking into green flesh as it attempted to tear and maim Piccolo in vengeance.

“Is that the best you can do?"  He sneered, bringing a clawed hand to the beast's throat. Its broken jaw dribbled blood and saliva all over the prince's lacerated hand, “Pity," he snarled, "it's not good enough. Piccolo's hand constricted in its trachea, crushing it. "Die."

The creature let out a high whine, writhing and yelping at the force of Piccolo's fingers, before eventually it fell silent, limp. 

Chichi was silent herself, but for an entirely separate reason. Her hands quivered as she saw the almost lusty gaze in Piccolo's eyes, glazed over as they were by a love of blood and violence. How could she be so naive as to trust that -   _that…_ She could not bring herself to call him a _monster_ , even mentally. Images of his flushed expression when she demanded his gratitude flashed behind her eyes... his wry smirks, his one attempt at humour whilst she ate...But as she gazed at his bloody frame, the scent of torn flesh in the air, _that was all she saw_. _That was who he **was**_. She edged back, a hand protectively covering her belly, before a wave of sickness overtook her. She spun round, expelling the contents of her stomach, her throat burning.

Piccolo dropped the carcass, kicking it away from himself in disgust. Whatever pathetic spirit had been possessing it had died along with the animal, too weak to handle what little power he could access. The demon checked himself for injuries. They were mostly superficial, although the beast's claws had dug into his left arm somewhat deeply. Blue-black blood splashed on the rocks, hissing with heat. The demon turned to his companion, crinkling his nose as she heaved up whatever food she had consumed that day.

"Are you alright?" He asked, keeping his distance. Piccolo had avoided getting too much blood on his clothes during the altercation with the attacker; he had no desire to accidentally step in her vomit.

Shakily, Chichi rose to her feet, pulling out her pouch of water. 

“Peachy,” she groused, taking a swig and spitting in the opposite direction.

“Let's go.” She had no intention of lingering at the bloody scene any longer. 

Piccolo watched her suspiciously, deciding privately that she had not been sick due to her baby. _No matter_ , she had known what he was before making her little deal. It was she who had decided to dance with the devil, after all.

They continued onward, seeking shelter. 

The combination of fresh air and a mouthful of minty herbs had appeased the runaway's stomach, but she was tired. Spotting a small cave, Chichi made a beeline to it, dumping her bag unceremoniously once she was inside; sighing as she slid down the inner wall. Her whole body seemed to ache, her mind exhausted. 

"You know, Girly, someone might be home," Piccolo growled, gazing around the cave and searching for signs of inhabitation. By the sight that met his red eyes, the owner would not be returning. "Looks like we are not the first travelers to cross Ugly's path," he murmured, noting the broken bones and tattered remnants of bloodied clothing. Still, there could be more...though he doubted it. That beast had been possessed by a violent, rabid spirit, had there been others of the hyena’s kind, it would have killed and eaten them all...

Chichi did not bother to respond, curling up on the ground. That... _thing_. She shuddered. She cracked open an eye, and gestured for him to come closer.

“Lemme see your arm,” she muttered, sitting up. Even if Piccolo had managed to repulse her with his bloodlust, he was still responsible for her safety, and she for his.

The Prince crouched beside her without argument, holding his bloodied arms out to her. The right hand was lacerated, although the arm itself was mostly untouched. It was the left forearm that had taken a beating from the possessed beast's claws. Several shallow cuts adorned the limb, and one deep slash from his wrist to his elbow was still oozing his oddly colored blood, though the temperature was much decreased with the newfound calm that had settled over him. 

Chichi crossed her legs, gazing at the demon for a long moment before raising her small hands above his left arm. White magic required positive emotion in order to be channelled...and that was not something she was particularly feeling at that moment, to put it mildly. Her hands glowed, albeit dimly. She sighed.

“I can heal you. But I need you to do something for me first. Talk about a memory or a thing that you're fond of _. Not fighting_ ,” she added quickly, shaking her head. “Not anything bloody or horrible ...just… something normal and _nice_.”

Piccolo's eyes widened, and suddenly, he looked younger than he already was. The demon's mouth opened slightly, and he stared at her. "I..." He slowly sat all of the way down, easing his long legs out in front of him. "A memory..." Piccolo thought, thought _hard,_ about what she had said. Nothing bloody, brutal... His entire life had been full of bloodshed. He looked at the opening of the cave, lost in thought. "I suppose..." The demon's ears twitched and his eyes gleamed as a thought occurred to him. "Cats," he said suddenly, brightening.

That was _not_ an answer Chichi had expected, and it showed on her face. Her dark eyes blinked expressively.

“Cats?” she said slowly, although the light surrounding her hands flickered brightly for a moment. “Go on.”

Piccolo's lips twitched slightly in what may have been a kind smile, had he allowed it to spread. He nodded.

"I have always liked cats," the demon began, "they are quite calming - excellent meditation partners." Piccolo's red eyes hazed, "they are not like dogs, one needs to try harder with cats. At first, they seem cold and unfeeling, but..." He trailed off, a content look settling on his hard features. "I miss having one." 

Chichi squeaked. Cats? Piccolo liked _cats_? It was a strange thought, but then, she could almost imagine the demon curled up like he did, sleeping whilst a cat kneaded his chest. Or playing with one. Or... _kittens_!

The thought of Piccolo letting a tiny kitten climb all over him was enough to send a burst of warmth through her arms, her hands illuminating with a soft glow. Piccolo's torn flesh began to knit itself back together until it was impossible to tell he had ever been injured in the first place. She moved to his other arm, her fingers almost grazing against his skin as she healed him quickly, before setting her hands in her lap, the light dissipating. The sparkle in her eyes, however, did not fade. 

“That's....” Chichi wriggled in glee, struggling to contain herself. “That's so _cute_!” 

Piccolo blinked in surprise, a blush appearing on his face, _cute?_ His ears flushed violet and fell in embarrassment.

"Wh-cute?" he leaned away from her, "I just like cats," the demon mumbled. He did not even bother to look at his fully healed arms, wondering if it would have been better to let the cuts heal on their own rather than tell her about that. It was too late now. 

“ _Mmmm- **hhhm**_ **!** ” Chichi giggled, clasping her hands in front of her. Oh, but he was just making it worse for himself, acting sheepish. Her eyes glowed as she looked over Piccolo's flushed cheeks and ears - his _ears_ were blushing! “It's adorable! The thought of a big scary demon like you liking _cats_!” A delighted blush coloured her cheeks. “And kittens...!”

His only salvation was that the girl did not throw her arms about him. He would have to kill her if she hugged him. Piccolo stood, brushing off his pants and moving to sit across the cave from her. The demon's face was on fire as he grumbled to himself, sitting down and sulking by the cave's entrance. 

"Stupid girl," he muttered, staring outside at the moon. Her giggles continued. "Alright, enough," the demon growled, "Sleep, rest so we can start moving again." He could not bring himself to glare at her; his face was still purple from blushing and it was more likely to make her dissolve into another fit of the giggles. Piccolo harrumphed and brought his knees up to his chest, locking his arms around his shins and resting his chin on his knees.

Chichi had to muffle her girlish laughter within her arms, until it died down somewhat - _somewhat_ meaning that she could string a sentence together without giggling.

“Okay _Grumpy_ ,” Chichi tittered, gazing at him as she stretched herself out, and turned on her side; away from him. “Tell you what though, you're _extra_ cute when you blush” Chichi cooed. “Goodnight!”

Piccolo hissed at her through bared fangs. He was most certainly _not_ cute!

"Sleep!" the demon snapped, cursing himself as a fresh wave of heat flooded his face.

As always, Piccolo slept lightly. His large ears picked up distant sounds and filtered the more important ones through to his working brain. He awoke once, standing silently and peering out of the cave. His ears twitched as he pinpointed the sound of the howl. Wolves. He listened closely, _normal_ wolves. They would not be a bother to the fugitives. The demon looked to the sky; it was still dark, the moon having mostly set while the sun was not quite ready to rise. He should get more rest. He returned to the cave, looking at the sleeping runaway. Sometime in the night, she had rolled away from the wall, and was sprawled on her back. The cloak she had been using as a blanket had slipped off of her. The air was chill, and for a moment, he contemplated pulling it back up over shoulders. _If she takes ill and dies, you will never get this collar off,_ he reminded himself, and knelt beside her... Chichi was, as usual, sleeping fairly heavily. 

Having been imbued with her father's ability to sleep through an earthquake, Chichi did not notice the demon coming closer to her. She did, however, twitch slightly, her head turning as she remained on her back. “...n...nnn...don' tell me what t' do....m' queen of th' _world_.”

“Hmph," Piccolo smirked and pulled the cloak up over her slender form. "You're not Queen of anything, Girly," he murmured, and tucked the cloak around her shoulders. “Not anymore."


	12. Too Close For Comfort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Locket here - sorry this took so long for me to post. Work and real life junk got in the way!
> 
> Content warning for description of nudity. Also near-death situation.

 

Chichi leapt up the craggy rock, a grin curving her lips as she nimbly scaled the mountain. For some reason, her energy had been relatively high the last few days. It was a pleasant change from the lethargy and sickness of early pregnancy, and she couldn’t help but display her cheer at every given opportunity - a spring within her step, a hum when she prepared their meals, an inquisitive question or two when Piccolo was around. Although she was sure her constant babbling was beginning to get on the demon’s nerves, she didn't care. Having discovered his 'sweet side' as she called it, she had opened herself back up to him with enthusiasm, showing no fear at his snapping. He was a fellow cat-lover, after all - he couldn’t be _that_ bad!

She grunted as she caught view of herself. Her clothes were grubby.

''Do you think there will be any springs up here?'' Chichi yelled, clambering up a cliff. ''We need to wash.''

The demon looked up at the princess; he was climbing beneath her in case she slipped. He was naturally suited to this sort of activity, whereas his charge was not.

"Probably.”

He watched her carefully as she scuttled up the nearly sheer rock face. A few pebbles from her feet were kicked down onto his head. The demon bared his fangs in annoyance and shook his head to dislodge the stone fragments. Piccolo rolled his eyes and carried on up after the girl. "Hurry _up_ Girly," he growled, red eyes trained on her. This was a dangerous move, winds in these areas could be unpredictable. His ears perked as they picked up on a distant roar of rushing air. "Girly," there was an urgency in his voice. He should have removed his cape...it was just going to catch in the gust.

Chichi squeaked, her body swaying and her dress whipping as a gale of wind swept over them. Terror overtook her, and she clung to the sheer surface, whimpering.

''Piccolo!''

“Hold on," he yelled "panic and you're lost." The demon pressed his body to the rock face, eyes trained on Chichi, ready to catch her if she slipped. A particularly strong gust grabbed his cape and whipped it around, the fabric snapping loudly. Chichi was pressed as tightly to the rock face as possible, her hair and dress catching in the wind. Her skirt was blown up and to the side, revealing her long muscular legs and more than a little of her rear. In a less dangerous situation, he may have laughed, but now was not the time...

As suddenly as it had come, the gale force winds died down. Piccolo clawed his way up the cliff, looping his arm around the girl's waist with the intent of hauling them both the rest of the way up the cliff. He was not risking that again. "Hold tightly to me," he growled, leaving no room for argument. He could hear another gust coming, and he couldn't have her dying just yet.

Chichi clung to the demon and obliged, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist whilst her face buried in the crook of his shoulder. She was too terrified to comprehend what implications may arise from how close their bodies were. The surge of adrenaline added to her light-headedness; and the sudden vertigo she felt from their precarious position made her dizzy.

Piccolo hissed and pressed them both to the cliff face as another mighty gale rocked them. He could barely hear the terrified whimper that came out of Chichi’s mouth over the wind. His hands hurt from gripping the cliff, but he snarled and dug his claws in. He was _not_ going to die, not today! Between breaks in the gusts of wind, the demon pulled them higher, torturously slowly up the sheer cliff. The shelf he pushed his foot off of crumbled, and he swore violently as his arms were all but wrenched from their sockets.

Chichi let out a cry as their bodies jerked hard, swinging dangerously over the great rift that they had climbed up until this point. She shut her eyes tightly, resisting the sobs that threatened to break from her. Was this the end?

No. No, it wasn't. She was just panicking. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Chichi placed a hand upon the demon's chest, focusing. A rush of energy flowed throughout her into him. The girl squeezed her eyes shut - _focus -_ as she supplied his body with extra power for the last push to the mountain's plateau.

Piccolo grunted in surprise as warmth filled his veins, calming his nerves and renewing his strength. The demon scrambled the rest of the way up the cliff, hauling them over the edge. He practically threw himself over the top of the cliff and collapsed on top of her. That had been too close...

'' _Piccolo_!'' Chichi squeaked.

The demon rolled reflexively away and off of her, sprawling on his back, still gasping for air.

"What?" he snapped, turning his head just enough to glare at her.

Her cheeks still burned, but she shook her head and scrabbled to her feet.

''Nothing,'' she growled, crossing her arms under the swell of her chest. Then, her ears picked up the sound of rushing, running, babbling....water!

''There's a stream up ahead!'' Chichi bounced excitedly, bending down in an attempt to pull Piccolo to his feet. ''Let's go, go, go!''

Piccolo snarled as Chichi yanked his sore arm, but he reluctantly obliged. He was too tired to argue, and although the demon would never admit it, he was looking forward to a bath.

 

Chichi ran on ahead, laughing as she flung off her cloak, glancing behind her and hesitating before she looked ahead once more, slipping her dress from her slender shoulders. She was still a little timid about undressing, but it was apparent that Piccolo thought little of it...still, she flushed all the same as she removed her undergarments, swearing as she unclipped her bra. Her breasts, by this point, were tender, despite having not grown.

She all but leapt into the water, a decision she instantly regretted. ''Aaaaiiie!'' Chichi squealed, a flurry of curses escaping her mouth as she splashed water upon herself in an attempt to acclimatise to the new temperature. ''Gods be _damned_!'

Piccolo allowed one short bark of laughter to pass his lips as he too stripped down, carefully hanging his clothes on a large rock.

"Cold?" He asked, raising an eyebrow as he approached the creek. Without waiting for her answer, the demon stepped into the creek, hissing quietly as the icy cold assaulted his body. "Mountain streams are always like this," he muttered. The demon's red eyes flicked to Chichi; she looked the same as she had when they had left the palace, perhaps a little puffier in the pelvic region, but nothing noticeable. He noted her alert nipples, not adjusted to the cold, and the flushed expression on her face as she tried to adapt to the cold temperature of the stream. Piccolo shook his head and took a deep breath, scrubbing his body with the frigid water.

His look did not go unnoticed, and Chichi puffed up with annoyance.

''Hey! If you're gonna look at me, at least look a _little_ pleased about it!'' she snapped, splashing him with the icy water in retaliation. She might have been pregnant, but she was still a woman for crying out loud! Chichi dipped her head underwater, rubbing her scalp fiercely...sneaking a sly look out the corner of her eye before flicking her head back, wincing as she ran her hands over her aching body.

Piccolo only rolled his eyes. "You're not my type," he replied after a moment, and scooped some of the cold water up to his face, taking a sip of the crisp liquid. No, she was not his type, she was human! As if he would look at her naked form with anything but curiosity, calculating how long she would be able to carry on at the good pace they had set before her pregnancy started to hinder her. The demon sneered as he caught her glance. “What are _you_ looking at?"

Chichi glared outright at him, her chest sticking out as her fingers dug into her hips. _Who the hell does he think he is_ she seethed internally, her teeth gritting and her eyes beginning to blaze.

''A big grumpy green bastard who doesn't know when to shut his mouth!'' She had half a mind to blast him, but the other half of her - the good, benevolent half - repressed the urge. ''You're nothing but a stuck up asshole who....who...... Argh!'' At a loss for words, Chichi could only scream aggravatedly before stalking out of the creek, hastily shoving on her dress and boots, still wet. ''Well fuck you! I'm going on my own!'' And she did, slinging her rucksack over her shoulder and trudging on ahead, still fuming.

It was quite lucky for Chichi that the demon prince wore the magic collar. Without it, she would be dead. As it were, he wanted to strangle her.

"You will be dead in a day," he snarled at her retreating back. "You don't stand a chance without me!" he swore as she grew further away. He couldn’t let her go - he still needed the damn collar off!

"Damn girl!" Piccolo seethed, drying off and pulling on his clothes. He could easily catch up, but...he sneered as an idea came to him, of course! Stay close - just close enough to save her when she needed him. That would leave her in his debt, and, not just that, she may even think he cared about her fate! "Alright then, Girly," he grinned wickedly and set off, tracking her carefully. He only needed to be close enough to jump in when she screamed...


	13. Pressing Troubles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER WARNINGS: 
> 
> \- attempted sexual assault/mentions of  
> \- gore (already in the general story warning but I figured I'd remind you all)  
> \- murder. 
> 
> ***just so people are aware, the attempted assault is NOT from a character currently present.***
> 
> Sorry about the delay in this chapter. Due to the content, I really wanted to take my time with the editing and ensure that Locket had plenty of time to check my revisions from the original document. Thank you for your patience and we look forward to your feedback. 
> 
> ~ Shire

Despite having been on the road for several hours, Chichi's blood boiled as she thought of Piccolo. She clenched her fists, that _wretched_ demon! She could take care of herself just _fine_! Hmph, the runaway sniffed, not looking back at her tracks. He would definitely show up soon enough. After all, his collar was not going anywhere without her assistance. With the collar, his plan for revenge was stymied indefinitely.

Sooner than she had hoped, darkness fell over the land, forcing Chichi to stop. Slumping on the ground, the girl’s eyes roved around, searching for traces of her previous companion.

There were none.

Chichi found herself feeling more than a little dismayed, although she tried not to show it.

''Asshole,'' she muttered, irritated that the former prince was nowhere in sight. Laying on the ground and staring up at the inky sky, Chichi decided to put him from her mind. He would be along as soon as he stopped griping. The girl snorted, pulling a small notebook and pen out her bag before the sound of footsteps made Chichi snap to attention. “Well it’s about damn time you -” she stopped, realizing that the footsteps were coming from the wrong direction to be Piccolo. Aye, and they were too heavy, _clumsy_ , to be the careful, graceful demonkin. “Who goes there?” she demanded gruffly, her staff materialising within her fingers as she rose to her feet.

 

Piccolo, unbeknownst to Chichi, had indeed been trailing her. Keeping himself hidden amongst the craggy rock outcroppings that dotted the landscape, the demon watched his charge with a wary eye. As she settled herself on the ground, he sneered. Chichi had not even found a campsite that was sheltered from view! Still, nothing had - ahh, footsteps? The demon’s ears twitched and he watched carefully, observing as a man - a very big man, muscled and filthy, approached Chichi's resting place. The demon tensed, having half a mind to step out of hiding then and there. He stayed his muscles, _wait,_ he chided himself.

"Hallooo thar," the man called, eyeing the young woman. A _lone_ young woman. He grinned wickedly, _pretty too_. "Now, what's a lovely little thing like you doing out har all by yer lonesome?" He was easily a head and a half taller than Chichi, although Piccolo would have towered over him. The man reeked of booze and old sex, and there was an awful gleam in his bleary eyes. Piccolo's mouth opened a fraction. Should he...? This man did not want to _kill_ the runaway, at least, not at first. The demon's resolve to wait until she was in real danger wavered, but he shook his head, _patience, if things get out of hand..._

 

Chichi glared imperiously at the approaching vagabond, _how vile_ , she thought, knowing his motives as quickly as she looked at him. She had seen that look before, in the eyes of soldiers, in other suitors; the nonhuman, animalistic look of a predator…

''Stay away from me,'' Chichi said brusquely, not bothering to spare him a second glance. If need be, she could call on her darker, more offensive powers; which would leave her drained for sure, but they would do the job…

"Oh, come now," the man's grin broadened, and he sat down beside her, "just being friendly..." He brushed her hair out of her face, "ye must be lonely, out here all alone," he groped at her arm with a meaty hand.

From his hiding place, Piccolo's eyes narrowed. He was seriously considering jumping out then and there, when the scumbag wrapped an arm around the girl and...

 

He pressed his slobbering, disgusting mouth on hers. He was trying to kiss her. _He was trying to kiss her_.

 

Chichi saw red, her hand opposite him moving to her dress pocket and pulling out a knife, the engravings gleaming violet as she raised it and plunged the weapon deep into his chest, causing her assailant to scream and recoil from her, his eyes wide. ''Th' _fuck_ are ye doin', ya crazy fuckin'--'' He did not have a chance to finish his sentence when Chichi leapt back, picking up her staff. Her face was contorted into an expression of utter rage as she spat, the tip of her staff glowing and crackling menacingly as she spun it within her fingers, bringing it down on the man's leg with a sickening crunch.

 

Piccolo shrank back into hiding, surprise slapping him in the face, _Girly **can**_ _take care of herself,_ he thought, more than a little relieved that the vile bastard had not had the chance to do...much. It was still too much.

 " _RRRRAAAGHH!_ " The man roared in pain, but he tore the dagger from his chest, blood shooting from the wound like a geyser. He brandished the weapon dangerously and lunged clumsily at the girl. Piccolo tensed once more, _Come on, Girly,_ he thought, seeing the rage shaking her slight frame. He could not interfere now; it was her fight. To jump in would be patronizing...

 

Chichi easily sidestepped his movement, although the sight of his meaty hand clutching the dagger, _her_ dagger only managed to infuriate her more. She leapt back, the tip of her staff pulsing with a violet light, wind whipping at her bloodied dress and catching her still-loose hair. The combination of the unearthly light and the locks that flew up around her head, surrounding it like some dark halo, gave her an unnerving appearance. It was not enough for her to simply harm him. No... _No_ , her anger was too far-gone now. Her grandmother's warning words rang in her ears, telling her of the suffering she had experienced by man.

Chichi pointed her staff forward, a singular word drawing from her lips in a low hiss, and a bolt of energy shot forward, hitting her potential abuser. The effect was instantaneous. His muscles seized up, and his limbs twisted, contorted into unnatural positions, a scream ripping from his throat as the blade dropped from his hands. His eyes bulged as Chichi stalked forward, tears streaming down his face, garbling pathetically for mercy. And mercy she eventually gave, for with a jerk of her wrist his neck twisted, body dropping as the crack of bones snapping passed. Chichi glared at the corpse now lying on the ground, her energy still flicking around her menacingly.

 

Piccolo watched, wide-eyed as the massive man fell to the ground.

Dead.

By Chichi's hands.

The demon's red eyes flicked to Chichi; her energies were flicking around her quaking body. His plan may be more difficult to execute then... He cursed internally, despite his pleasure at seeing the bastard dead, he needed to get back on the runaway's good side...

 

Chichi grunted as her staff dissipated, her energy melting away and making her feel utterly drained. Trudging over to her bag, she dragged it to a more shadowed area, behind a rock, and promptly collapsed, groaning lightly as she curled up. Sleep swiftly took her there and then, despite the fact she was laying directly on cold, hard ground with little more covering her than her dress.

 

Piccolo's red eyes followed her, and he sighed, he supposed that this was as good a time as any to reappear. Poorly thought out plan abandoned, he came out of hiding, walking over to the creep's corpse. His lip curled in utter disgust. The smell of death - blood, piss, and shit - would attract wild animals to the site. He knelt in the dirt, picking up Chichi's bloody dagger, cleaning it on her attacker's tunic. He kicked dirt on the dead man's face. _Vile garbage. Chichi had been too kind._ Piccolo would have ripped the bastard's guts out and hung him from his own entrails. The demon walked over to the unconscious girl and gathered up her belongings, shouldering her bag. Piccolo knelt and scooped her into his arms, cradling her against his chest. He would find a safer place to hunker down for the rest of the night...

 

Chichi eventually stirred as realisation seeped into her subconscious that she was not lying on cold, hard rock anymore, but was bundled up against something warm and strong...She blinked blearily, squinting and making a noise as she recognised the two, glowing eyes in the darkness.

''Took ya' long enough,'' Chichi half-grumbled, but she snuggled against the welcoming warmth of Piccolo's chest all the same. '' _Hhhmmm.._.''

 

The demon's arms tensed around her as she spoke, and he looked down. Chichi wiggled in his arms, burrowing into his chest. Piccolo sighed tiredly, and found a rocky overhang under which they could rest. He sat down lightly, and started to set Chichi down next to him. '' _Nnnnnoo_ ,'' Chichi whined lowly, clutching the front of his shirt as she fought with all her sleepy might to stay on him. ''Let me...please...'' Piccolo froze, but ceased in his attempts to set her down. The demon relaxed his hold on her, settling her in his lap. This was uncomfortable...Far too friendly. He gritted his fangs, _just...just do it for the collar..._ the demon sighed, and closed his eyes. _Rest. Rest and just.._. he shook his head.

 

Chichi roused, awakened by his movements, conceding as she wriggled out of his arms. ''Yer' as stiff as a board,'' she grunted, plopping herself at his side and curling up. ''It was nice that you would've let me though,'' she murmured, smirking lightly.

 

Piccolo cracked one eye and looked at her.

 

"You weren't complaining when I was carrying you," he muttered, and handed the girl her rucksack. "I put your dagger in there," he said quietly.

  
''I wasn't complaining then because you weren't twitching and jerking uncomfortably,'' she responded softly, before perking up, taking her rucksack and bringing out the blade. The engravings pulsed warmly. ''So you... _saw_... then.'' Her voice was quiet, as she held out the dagger for them both to see. ''This was my grandmother's. She's the one who taught me how to fight.''

 

“I saw," Piccolo affirmed, red eyes on the dagger. "I was about to help you when you stabbed him in the chest." He paused and looked back to her face, "then it was your fight, not mine. Interference would have been dishonorable."

 

Chichi mulled over his words for a while, relaxing. Yes, she definitely would have reacted negatively had he jumped in at that point.

 

"Under my father's law,'' she murmured, twirling the gleaming blade in her hand. ''A wife legally belongs to her husband.'' She stayed silent for a moment to let the words sink in. The implications behind her words didn't have to be spoken aloud.

 

Piccolo pinned his ears, and shook his head. Small wonder she had chosen to run away, to abandon her fortune and risk death in the wilds with a demon slave.

 

Chichi remained quiet, fingers tracing the violet light etched into the blade. Her eyes were beginning to droop. Carefully, she placed the blade back in her rucksack, curling up, her bag used as a pillow and her cloak as a blanket. ''Night,'' she mumbled, before she lost herself to sleep.

 

"Goodnight, Girly," Piccolo said softly, closing his eyes and settling down to sleep. The demon curled his arms around his knees, and rested his head on his chest, drifting off. His slept soundly, and awoke the following morning when the sun hit his eyes. The demon checked on his charge; she was still asleep. _Good_. She needed it more than he did. It had been about a fortnight since the odd duo had fled the palace, and the demon was beginning to wonder when they would bump into the Ox King's men. Piccolo slowly rolled to his feet, and looked at the sleeping girl. Chichi had the blood of that filthy pig on her dress... The demon shook his head; he did not want to waste time washing clothes, but... It was necessary.

They also needed to restock on food. Water they had happened upon enough, but... He recalled the map again in his head, soon the landscape would transform into a dry, arid wasteland. He supposed that it would be wrong to leave her asleep while he went hunting... The demon crouched beside her, reaching a hand out to her shoulder. "Time to be awake," Piccolo's voice was gruff but not unkind. "Up, Girly."

 

“ _…Mmm_.... I'll take th' one with the white paws..." 

Chichi, roused by Piccolo's words and the hand gently shaking her shoulder, grunted and pulled the cloak over her head; adamant to stay there for another hour.... until her stomach growled loudly in protest. It had been a while since she had eaten an actual meal.... 

She sat up, eyes squinting in the light, her fluffy hair sticking out at various angles. "Mornin'," Chichi mumbled, rubbing a tired eye. "We goin'?"

 

Piccolo rolled his eyes at her childish behavior, and waited not-so-patiently until she had sat up.

"As soon as you can travel." The demon stood, nearly bonking his head on the overhand. "We will eat on the move, and I will hunt some sort of game for the food stocks."

 

Chichi perked up at the mention of food, fixing her hair into a ponytail as she stood up.

"Alright,” she agreed, hoisting the dusty rucksack over a shoulder. Dark eyes looked down, and she grimaced, plucking at her soiled dress. "Do you mind if we stop at a stream so I can wash this?" The blood on her dress was too strong a reminder of the unpleasant encounter the night previous. She plucked at Piccolo's cape. The ends of the regal white had become a dirty grey. "I can do your stuff as well."

 

The former prince nodded, "the first one we come across," he agreed quietly, eyes on her filthy dress. The demon recalled their conversation from the previous night, and shook his head. The movement was almost imperceptible. Piccolo's disdain for humans had already been very high, but it seemed that he was capable of even more. His eyes flickered briefly to the girl's belly; it was less noticeable with her dress on, but a little bump was just beginning to show. He frowned; they needed to at least reach the harbor before it became difficult to her to travel. "Have you any idea if it is a boy or a girl?" He asked as the odd duo set off.

 

Chichi blinked, and tilted her head at the Demon. It was an unexpected question, but she was happy to answer it.

"I won't know until it's born," Chichi admitted, placing a hand on her abdomen absentmindedly. There were supposedly ways to predict the gender of a fetus, but those were all old wives tales as far as Chichi was concerned...Her gaze locked with his, dark eyes filled with apprehension. "How long do you think it will take us to reach the harbour...?"

 

The demon shrugged, eyes watching the land ahead of them.

"We have been making good time," he replied, swinging his satchel around to his front and digging the map and an apple from it. Replacing his satchel, Piccolo unrolled the map and studied it while they walked. "We are somewhere in here," his thumb wiggled in a space between a desert and the mountains. "And the harbor is here," he calculated the distance. "If we are able to continue at the pace we have set, four more weeks." The demon hesitated, and glanced at her belly. " _If_ we can keep pace...and..." Red eyes checked the path behind them, "if our luck continues." He very much doubted that it would.

 

"Four weeks," Chichi said slowly. _Good._ Good, that would mean she would probably be starting her second trimester by the time they were at sea. Chichi shook her head in response to his question, her hair swaying. "We don't know too much about them until birth. Many humans can't tell if something is wrong with their baby prior to birth either." Her hands clasped, almost protectively, over her stomach. "But I will. That stems from being able to use healing magic." She bit her lip, looking down, hair falling over her eyes. "If there was, though, I wouldn't be able to do much of anything about it." Her hands clenched.

 

Piccolo reached over and gently pulled her hands away from her abdomen.

"No sense in worrying until you feel that something is amiss." He gave her a wry smirk, "as long as it does not receive its father's brains, I would not worry at all. You are strong, and the father, though reckless and foolish, is even stronger. I cannot imagine your child would be anything less." The demon handed her the apple, and reached for his canteen.

 

Chichi giggled, smiling at Piccolo as she took the apple.

"Thank you," she murmured, holding the fruit in front of her, admiring its deep scarlet colour before biting into it. Her child would grow up, strong and happy, fulfilled. Free from her kingdom’s legacy. Chichi pointed up ahead, hearing the bubbling noise of flowing water. "There's a stream," she said, smiling broadly at the Demon before running up ahead, her feet light on the ground.

 

Piccolo quickened his pace, although he did not break into a run as his traveling companion did. The demon's long ears flicked, picking up on distant sounds, listening closely for the sounds of pursuers. He frowned at the absence. Could it be that the Ox King had no idea that his patrol in the woods had met a grisly end in the haunted woods? Two weeks, two weeks they had been on the run, and the only real trouble they had run into had been the ghosts, the possessed hyena, the windy cliff, and the creep. _Surely the king's men would find them eventually..._ Piccolo's hands spasmed, fingers tightening in a wicked fashion, claws glinting in the mid morning sun. He would dearly enjoy ripping them apart. Son Goku too, for surely he had been informed if his fiancée’s disappearance, along with that of her _wicked_ slave's... The demon's pupils dilated, and his breath came in pants. He would be ready to fight Goku. To the death. But to even stand a chance against the warrior, he would _need_ his freedom.

 

She looked around, and her eyes widened at the sight of the demon; his scarlet eyes mere pinpricks, hands clenched into themselves, breath shallow and fast... The last time Chichi had seen him like this was when he had ripped that beast to shreds. However, despite his wild appearance, there was more to him than that. Chichi _knew_ it. She knew it despite the fact she still did not trust him not to kill her if she released him from the choker’s magic... she just…

Chichi stood up, facing Piccolo, hands on her hips.

"You're thinking about something bloody and violent, aren't you?" the tiny woman demanded.

 

He blinked and calmed his breath, but did not answer her. The demon forced his hands to relax and walked the rest of the way to the stream. He removed his canteen and handed it to her before crouching on the bank and splashing his face with cold water.

 

Shaking her head, Chichi filled both their canteens with fresh water before proceeding to stand up. She summoned her staff, not intending to be caught off guard like she had earlier whilst Piccolo was absent. She held it in front of her, murmuring softly before jabbing it into the air. A blue circle formed, before expanding to generously surround their perimeter, fading away as quickly as it came.

 

Calm once more, the physiological signs of his bloodlust repressed, the demon stripped naked and stepped into the water, scrubbing dirt and blood from his clothes. As soon as he was satisfied, Piccolo laid out his garments to dry on a rock. He settled down into the water and proceeded to cleanse himself, noting the magical barrier around them.

"Same as before?" He asked, splashing water over his tight and toned body.

 

“Nope. Just a barrier," she said, sighing as she slid into the stream. At least it was warmer here. "It's just so no one sneaks up... again," she grunted. Chichi's dark eyes flickered over Piccolo's muscled form. _Well, he was certainly something to look at..._ She shook her head and returned her attention to washing herself, ignoring the urge to catch another glance of the nude demon.

 

"Ah," the demon nodded, and, finished washing, stepped up onto the grassy bank. His clothes were still soaked, and he had no desire to struggle with sopping wet garments. Piccolo sat down on the bank before flopping down onto his back, gaze skyward. The sky was a magnificent blue, with puffy white clouds rolling around on far-above air currents. "Storm's on the way," he called gruffly, nodding to the large grey-white clouds. "We'll want to get moving as soon as our clothes are dry, find a safe place to hide, and wait it out." Piccolo stretched his arms up over his head and made a pillow out of his hands. "It ought to cover our tracks though, confuse any pursuers."

 

Chichi nodded, moving to sit at the edge of the bank, her feet still in the water. She still felt somewhat self-conscious about being naked around Piccolo, but his disinterest in her had eased her mind.

She jerked, her eyes becoming alert as she began looking around. There were spirits here, although benign, so she soon settled back down, splashing the running stream with her feet.

 

"What is it," he asked, lifting his head and looking at her bare back. He looked around and listened to the air, water, and gentle wind in the trees. The demon heard nothing out of the ordinary, but was not so quick to discount Chichi's reaction as silliness. The sun felt lovely on his naked body, warming his bones and bringing relief to muscles sore from rough terrain. Piccolo pushed himself up so that he was resting on his elbows, abdominals rippling with the movement.

 

“Just river spirits," Chichi replied, combing her fingers through dark hair. "They won't hurt us, but keep your darker energies low," she warned. Whilst there were many malevolent water entities, she could not sense any in the area; merely the ghosts of those who appreciated the stream, or manifestations of energy that had formed semi-sentient beings. Either way, they were safe. Chichi yawned, stretching her limbs out and scuttling back from the stream, lying on her back. Her hair, drying quickly in the sun, splayed out over her shoulders, and she closed her eyes. She could not remember _ever_ being this freely naked before, and it was liberating, in a manner.

 

Piccolo remained propped up for a moment, eyes curiously moving over her naked body, ears twitching. She really _was_ quite pretty; pale skin, a heart shaped face framed by hair the color of the midnight sky, a slender but muscular build, and... He grunted, shaking his head and settling back down, stretching out beside her.

"I am going to take a nap," he muttered, closing his eyes and frowning agitatedly.

 

"Alright," Chichi replied, glancing back and noting Piccolo's tense expression, but said nothing. If she asked him how he felt, he would more than likely clam up or bite her head off, and she wanted to stay in a good mood. She watched his ears twitch, and began to wonder what kind of dreams he had. Probably about cats. Letting out a giggle, Chichi stretched out, starting to doze off in the warm sun.

 

Piccolo's dreams were...confusing, at best. He growled quietly, but did not wake. _Chichi’s dark hair was down and loosely falling around her shoulders. Dirt covered her face and torn dress, tears cutting trails through the blue-black blood that was splattered over her cheeks, she was speaking words that he could not understand, although they were in the common tongue..._ Piccolo growled more loudly this time, and switched his position, rolling onto his side and digging his fingers into the grass. _Warm arms around his neck..._

 

 

Chichi was jerked from her sleep with a start, her heart hammering in her ears as she struggled to breathe, eyes wide and terrified. Scrambling to her feet, the girl listened hard against the air, unable to hear anything worrying.... but the spirits ...The spirits spoke in her dreams, and that had been enough. Chichi scooped up her clothes, hastily shoving them on before shaking Piccolo awake. "Piccolo! Wake up, please! They're coming!"

 

The demon snapped awake with a snarl, barely staying his hand before clawing her defensively. After a moment, her words suddenly made sense, and alarm rang in his head. Piccolo snatched his clothes and pulled them on, shoving his feet back in his shoes and hastily yanking the cape over his head. He froze, satchel over only one shoulder.

"I hear nothing," he said, straining his keen hearing. It was infinitely better than any human's, and should not have been affected by the jeweled choker. He scrunched his face in a mixture of confusion and suspicion, eyeing the panicking princess.

 

Chichi snarled at his suspicious expression.

"Don't you look at me like that, like _I_ am the enemy!" She hauled her rucksack over her shoulder, glaring at him. "The spirits contacted me. They said-"

 

Explosions, so far off as to be barely audible, but close enough to shake the ground beneath their feet, rumbled across the meadow.


	14. Underestimating Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> General trigger warning for violence, swearing and such.

Chichi's gaze faltered, her body tensing.

“What the Hell...?" Piccolo's ears pinned flat against his head, hackles rising. The demon grabbed Chichi by the arm and scooped her rather roughly into his arms. "Hold on, we're picking up the pace a bit," Piccolo growled, adjusting his grip on the girl before taking off at a run.

Chichi whimpered, heart racing as Piccolo sped along the land. Another explosion rumbled in the distance, causing the girl to clutch at the white folds of cape around the demon's chest. “I suspect by now, my father...he would have got other powers involved.” She took a deep breath, placing a hand to his chest to allow her magic to flow throughout him.

“Like Son?” Piccolo snarled, quickening his pace in response to the white magic she channeled through him. He wanted to kill the prince more than anything, but he stood no chance with the collar around his neck. Landscape flew past as Piccolo raced on - a galloping horse may have been able to keep pace, but the beasts were mere mortals and tired more easily than demonkin.

He did not slow down until dusk. The demon set Chichi down on her feet, panting from his mad dash, and looked up at the ripening clouds. "Sh-should put them o-off," he stammered, catching his breath. He had no desire to be caught by Chichi's father. The Ox King was a kind man, but he would not take kindly to the "savage demon slave" who had apparently kidnapped his daughter...

Chichi looked over the demon with concern-filled eyes, hesitating. She wanted to help him but...she had little energy left, and what emotions she felt would only channel more harm than good...  

The demon nodded and fell into step beside her, "Tell me," he panted, " _Exactly_ what your dreams showed you, Girly."

Chichi swallowed, her head bowing slightly, enough to let her hair fall over her face. However, her voice was clear as she began to speak. ''I saw...I saw a vast army, both soldier and mage. The soldiers carried guns of many kinds and the mages were far more powerful than any that could reside in my father's kingdom.'' She shook her head as they slipped into a cave formed by large slabs of stone jutting out of the earth . ''I saw Son...leading behind my father, who...'' her voice cracked as she slumped against a wall, face crumpling. ''My Daddy...he looks as if he’s gone mad...''

She shook her head again, willing away the tears that stung her eyes. ''The kingdom is in chaos...'' she murmured, curling up. ''He has conscripted… _everyone_.'' Chichi looked at Piccolo, wide-eyed. ''It's all my fault!''

Piccolo sat down on the earth as rain started to fall. He stared out the greying skies, listening to the rumble of thunder. "Yes," he said quietly, "your decisions caused this." He fell silent, still not looking at her. "You chose to defy your father, and run, rather than accept your fate and marry Son Goku." He turned his face to hers slowly, "the question that remains, is whether or not you would do it again, or if you would stay at home, hurry along your engagement to Son, and marry him before your indiscretion was discovered." The demon watched her glistening eyes carefully. "I know that _I_ would rather die than return to your palace. But I do not know your mind as I do my own."

His words stung, and she closed her eyes. Her decisions had caused the pandemonium of her own kingdom. It was a hard truth to swallow, but it was the truth, and she would have to bear it. As for his question...

Chichi's gaze hardened, pale hands clenching into fists. She knew if her father found out she were pregnant, and if she still refused to marry, her child would be taken away from her - there was no doubt about that. So therefore, she would essentially be forced into a marriage with Son...but the thought of raising a child in such an empty, loveless partnership, subjecting it to her own misery, whether she meant to or not...

She locked gazes with the demon. ''I would sooner die running, than live in a gilded cage.'' Her eyes burned within the pale setting of her face.

The demon's lips curled upwards. She was a fighter. "Good," he nodded. "Then we must rest. Four weeks and many leagues lay between you - us - and the harbor. It would do us good to sleep in turns." He motioned for her to sit beside him. "You rest, I will watch for now, and wake you when midnight has passed." He touched a hand to the black metal collar around his neck, and gazed out into the torrential rain, ears pricked and alert.

Chichi smirked in return at the demon's approval. ''Okay,'' she said, getting up to walk over to Piccolo, slumping beside him and curling up on the ground. She would have to try not to use him as a pillow as she slept. ''I uh...talk in my sleep, by the way.'' Chichi bit her lip, flushing. ''If I say anything weird...ignore it. And don't laugh at me for it!'' She yawned, curling up on the ground, her eyes drooping, and she was dozing off.

“I've noticed," he said dryly, and pulled his cape closer around his shoulders. Piccolo's red eyes peered out into the pouring rain, constantly roving, watching for any changes in the outside world. He listened to the rain, familiarizing himself with the way it sounded, slowly tuning it out, along with Chichi's gentle breathing. His eyes flicked to her, lingering on her face for a moment before returning to his silent vigil. The dream he had experienced earlier in the day troubled him - she had been crying, and covered in blue-black _demon_ blood. The girl's stomach had been swollen to a much greater extent than it was now... His ears pinned, recalling the images from his dream. He frowned, realizing that he had only seen her face, but he _knew_ that in his dream, she must have been thirty-some weeks pregnant, not the nine she was at the moment. It did not make sense.

-

It was another two hours before Chichi roused, stretching out her limbs luxuriously, her hand bumping into something firm - Piccolo. The former princess yawned. ''Mornin' - er, night?''

“Depends on how one defines the words," the demon murmured. “Dawn is four hours off, although I doubt we will see the sun," he nodded to the crying sky. "I need a few hours," Piccolo mumbled, blinking blearily.

“Alright,” Chichi nodded, pulling out her sketchbook as she watched Piccolo curl up into himself. “Night night,” she whispered, to no one in particular.

-

Several hours later, Chichi rose to her feet and grabbed her canteen of water as she walked towards the cave entrance. The sound of her rising would hopefully be enough to wake the demon up.

She had tried not to look at him too much as he slept. His face looked so much younger, softer. It was dangerous, becoming attached to the demon, but Chichi couldn't help herself. Having no one else for companionship, as well as the fact Piccolo didn't seem - truly - to be a bad person, made Chichi soften towards him. Still, she would still have to remain cautious. Knowing her own trusting nature, a measure of discipline was required over her emotions.

Piccolo's ears twitched at her movements, and he roused himself. The still sleepy demon was unable to stifle the yawn that parted his mouth, unhinging his jaw and stretching languidly. He blinked several times to clear gunk from his eyes and sat up, looking around for Chichi. "I see that the rain has stopped," he commented dryly, stopping at the entrance. He pulled an apple out of his satchel and stood, walking over to stand behind her. "Any sign of our followers?" He did not suppose that there would be, they had covered a great distance yesterday.

Chichi shook her head, looking up at him over her shoulder.

She took a swig of water, her eyes distant. ''You said it would take us about four weeks at least to reach the harbour.'' Her hand grazed her stomach. ''That'll be the end of my first trimester...''

The demon looked down to the small swell of her belly. He was not exactly sure of what that meant, but he nodded slowly. He shouldered his satchel and adjusted his cape. "We had best be moving," Piccolo stepped out of the cave, glancing at his shadow and the position of the sun to gauge their direction.

The girl nodded, quickly fixing her hair into the usual bun before pulling her rucksack on her back, moving out of the cave. ''Apparently it'll start kicking in around ten weeks,'' Chichi breathed, her eyes shining in anticipation. ''And then five weeks after that, it'll start responding to familiar sounds. _Voices_.'' She tried not to bounce in excitement as she walked.

''I hope I'll have a home by the time it comes,'' she sighed wistfully, looking up the wide, open sky. ''Or sometime after.'' She paused. ''Maybe I could sell potions or something to make a living. Or just hunt. I could do that.'' Chichi's lips curved in a small smile. _Whatever it takes._

She looked rather radiant in that moment, animatedly discussing her baby and the life she would lead once they were across the sea. The demon wondered when - or if - the army behind them would give up their search. Piccolo decided that he would rather not think about it. A darker part of him _wanted_ the army to catch up. The Princess would be forced to remove the collar...and his mayhem could begin... Although Piccolo's more rational side reminded him that would be no match for the army, with mages _and_ Son Goku...Piccolo sighed and quickened his walking pace, checking to make sure Chichi was following. "I could... Leave an obstacle for them," he baited, trying to sound casual, "if I had the power..."

Chichi rolled her eyes. _This again._ Giving a slight pause, Chichi slowed, biting her lip slightly as she feigned the perfect picture of motherly anxiety.

''Well...'' she huffed. ''See...I'm not sure if I trust you though...but...'' She bent her head, dark hair falling over her eyes as she cusped her hands over her stomach. ''I suppose...''

Piccolo stood stock still, trying not to appear too eager. _Would she...?_ He wouldn't even kill her, wouldn't harm a hair on her head. Just dump her ass after rending this part of the earth asunder. Leave a canyon so deep and long that the army would be unable to easily circumvent. She would be fine from there.... His breath caught.

Her eyes shone with worry as she carefully raised her pearly hands to his collar, her gaze levelling with his. Her voice cracked. ''You...you won't leave me, will you?'' Her eyes were wide and frightened.

Piccolo's eyes widened, it was happening. She was going to do it... "Of course not," he lied, breath speeding up, pupils dilating. "Of _course_ I would not leave."

Chichi smiled gratefully, her face the image of radiance...which soon contorted into one of utter rage. There was a gleam in his eye that gave away his true intentions. He was not as good a liar as he obviously thought.

''Liar,'' was all she could hiss out before her arm drew back, hand swinging to meet his face in a scathing slap. ''You lying _bastard_! How dare you prey on my fears, my emotions, just to meet your own stupid, selfish needs!'' Chichi ranted, her eyes dilated, face reddened and livid. ''I'm fucking pregnant and you're going to just ditch me, and don't say otherwise because I don't trust a _single_ thing you have to say!''

Her breathing was deep and ragged, dark energy crackling around her body threateningly. ''Do _not_ try to manipulate me Piccolo, because I _can_ and I _will_ kill you.'' Her hand shot out, grasping the metallic choker. Focussing all her anger into a single point, Chichi amplified the collar's draining properties. It would only last for a few seconds, but it would be enough to get her point across.

Her hand left a purply print on his cheek, and he may have killed her then and there, regardless of what his plans had been five minutes prior. He may have even meant to kill her. But...suddenly his entire body burned, fire running through his veins even as his heart froze. Piccolo cried out, hitting his knees, and clutching his chest. Her hand was all that kept him from collapsing completely.

Chichi glared at the demon, all mercy having left her as soon as the lie passed his lips. No. It was time he was put in his place.

Keeping both hands on the collar, she moved her face slightly closer, her eyes burning wildly. ''Listen to me,'' she said, her voice low and dangerous. ''If you leave me, I will lose this baby, and if I lose this baby because of _you,_ I will come after you and I will gut you alive. I will make you feel sorry you ever thought of crossing me.''

She released her hold on the collar, the draining power returning to its normal level as she continued to walk on. ''Move it!''

Piccolo slumped, arms shaking as they struggled to hold him up. After a moment, he was able to regain his breath. His face contorted in a ferocious snarl, but no sound left him. The demon forced his facial muscles to relax. Begrudgingly, he admitted to himself that he had more than deserved the treatment. "I do not believe you even need my help," he growled, ears pinned back, although the vicious snarl had abated. "But if you are so desperate to keep my by your side, I shall cease my efforts to hasten this /thing's/ removal." He spat the word "thing" with vehement hatred. The demon stood, and followed behind the Princess, hating himself for the respect growing for her in his gut.


	15. Serpent Tongues and Snake Bites

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: 
> 
> \- (Possessed) Animal Death   
> \- Mildly manipulative threats? --> I might be reaching here but I figured I'd put it in just in case. 
> 
> Sorry about the delay! We started working on this together in August but time flies and gets away from us. Sorry about that! Really what it came do was a small bit of dialogue that we deemed unnecessary that needed to be replaced...which can be difficult, haha. 
> 
> 16 will be out sooner. Thank you for your patience and continued reading!

They walked on for a few hours, Chichi remaining quiet the whole time. She couldn't talk to him, lest she lose her temper again. Having him hurt or killed would do her and her baby absolutely no good. It was best to ignore him, to let him reflect and allow her time to calm her mind. However, it was not only Piccolo’s earlier transgression that had her mood simmering. Chichi grunted, wiping sweat from her brow before she turned back to her companion.

''It's midday. The sun is at its peak, and it's going to get hotter.'' She pointed to a nearby cave formed by a fissure in one of the many craggy plateaus, enticing them with its dark coolness. ''We should take a rest until the sun is gone, and travel more in the darkness. It would save us energy and water.''

Piccolo nodded silently, avoiding eye contact. He was still shaken from the day’s earlier events; there was much more to Chichi than he had ever thought possible. The demon was unnerved by her ferocity, her ability to fool him. The ease with which she had subdued him.

“I’ll… go check it out,” the former prince murmured, slinking past her into the potential shelter. Piccolo glanced around, searching for signs of living creatures. There had to be _something_ here. The environment was too hospitable not to be inhabited.

Then he heard it - the dry sound of massive, scaly bodies slithering over each other. The demon backed out of the cave quickly. "Snakes," he said, removing his cape and handing it to her without looking.

Chichi had noted the lack of eye contact. _Good_. It was about time the demon recognized what he would be up against should he do her wrong. She took his cape wordlessly, idly folding it. She refrained from offering to help. Snakes...snakes were not something Chichi liked. A shudder coursed through her.

He chose not to comment on her reaction to the news. Not after earlier, anyway. Piccolo stalked back into the cave, pausing for a moment to allow his eyes to adjust to the gloom.

_Ahh_. His eyes widened ridiculously. Not _snakes_.

_Giant_.

_Snake._

Its body length was easily five times the stretch of his wingspan, and had a massive girth. Its back was higher than he was tall. Like the hyena back in the mountains, this creature had likely been mutated by some volatile devil. Snakes simply did _not_ grow this big outside of legend.

The demon crouched, contemplating what to do. Without the collar he would simply fry the beast, but that was not an option. He picked up a rock as the massive reptile began to unwind itself, slithering toward him. Piccolo lobbed the stone at the creature's head and sprang backwards as it hissed furiously and lunged at him, maw agape.

Demon and serpent flew into the open air, sand blasting into the sky with the force and speed of their movements.

Chichi leapt back with a shriek, her mouth agape as she saw Piccolo tangle with the huge reptile. That thing was _monstrous_! It was huge - she had to get out of the way, lest her unborn baby come to harm. She backtracked, stopping once sure that neither Piccolo nor snake would come crashing down on top of her. What was she supposed to do? Chichi bit her lip, _better let Piccolo handle it for now_.

Piccolo hissed and back-flipped through the air, landing in a flurry of sand. He barely avoided having the snake's mouth snap shut around his legs. The beast coiled and struck once again. The former prince dove sideways, reaction slowed by the sinking sand. Piccolo whipped around as fast as he could, eyes widening as the giant snake's mouth blocked out the sun. With a roar of effort, Piccolo rolled out of the way. The serpent got a mouthful of dirt, massive body whipping through the air. Piccolo flung himself at his beastly opponent, sinking his claws into its scaly skin. The beast thrashed and flipped onto its back, pinning him to the ground. He yelped as the air was forced from his lungs, sounding more like a kicked cat than a demon prince.

Chichi flinched, letting out a soft cry as she saw Piccolo being crushed - he wouldn't last long under there, she knew that, but what could she _do_? Her ability to use white magic had all but faded, _especially_ on him! Gritting her teeth, the former princess dropped her rucksack, shoving Piccolo's cape inside and summoning her staff. She pointed it at the snake and breathed, summoning a bolt of darkness and firing. Hopefully it would be enough to move the thing off of Piccolo, giving him a chance to recover.

Piccolo groaned as the beast's weight exploded off of him, the snake’s sinuous length cracking ribs as it thrashed wildly. The demon rolled to his feet, looking around. It was slithering through the sand with its ugly head raised, tongue flicking in and out of its mouth, tasting the air. The demon's ears pinned.

Chichi panted, knees all but buckling below her. The amount of magic she had used in the past few days had drained her; she just wanted to crawl into the coolness of the cave and pass out! But that was not an option. Not until they were safe. She could only watch as Piccolo leapt at the possessed reptile. Chichi had no choice; she would have to conserve her magic for when Piccolo's life was once again threatened.

The demon's claws raked the snake's scaly hide, and the monstrous reptile whipped its massive head around to him. Its sinewy coils bunched, the demon tensed. As the snake pounced, Piccolo sprang into the air, using the solid beast as a lever. Somersaulting on his way down, Piccolo swung his foot out, bringing it down on the reptile's head. However, he snake had shot away from him, and his foot instead hit its back with a loud thud. Piccolo snarled as he took an ungraceful tumble and roll over soft ground. 

Before Piccolo could stand up, the beast whipped around, fangs gleaming as it caught the demon in its mouth. Chichi could only stare in horror as the monster swallowed Piccolo whole, her heart pounding.

It was apparent, even from the outside, that Piccolo was not going be digested without a fight. 

Piccolo yelped as the monster's stinking maw surrounded him. "Oh _fuck_ no," he snarled, losing his usual eloquence as his hands and feet shot out to the sides, scrambling for purchase in the creature's throat. The demon's claws managed to sink into the fleshy throat, halting his movement towards digestion. Summoning the small amount of black energy he was able to access, the demon punched the bottom of the serpent's throat.

The snake-demon roared, writhing in apparent agony as Piccolo fought inside of it. Chichi stared, her eyes wide as it thrashed in protest, its body whipping against the ground and sending tremors throughout the earth.

Piccolo punched again, and again, and spoke in time to his fist. "Looks. Like. You. Bit. Off. More. Than. You. Could -" he drew his hand back, prepping for what he hoped would be the final blow, " _CHEW!”_

The bruising flesh gave way to his furious fist, and the snake writhed around him. Its death throes threw him sideways, away from his escape route.

All at once, that beast ceased to move. Chichi's magic dissipated around her, and before she knew it she was running. _''Piccolo_!'' she cried, a surge of power flowing through her as she stumbled, making her way to the snake's mouth. She cast a ball of light at the end of her staff, trying to peer inside. ''Piccolo?''

The demon shook his head, hissing quietly. He could hear a voice...Chichi's voice, from outside. Piccolo put a hand to his head, having bumped it after the snake began thrashing. He half crawled towards the sound of her words. With a mighty effort, Piccolo pried the monster's maw all-of-the-way open, revealing the scalding sun and the worried face of Chichi.

Her eyes widened at the sight of Piccolo - he was a mess. The usually eloquent demon was covered in thick, slimy mucus, his shirt was torn, and there was a purplish bruise forming on his skull.

Concern rushed through her, how much damage had he taken? Despite his earlier transgression, Chichi didn't _truly_ wish him to be injured. ''Where are you hurt?'' she fretted, as she attempted to help him out of the beast's vile mouth.

Piccolo growled at her and shook off her helping hands, stumbling as he tripped on the way out of the snake's reeking mouth. The demon spat out the snake's blood and other fluids, swiping at the air around him. He hit his knees, sending up a flurry of sand and wretched, stomach convulsing. His head was pounding, and the sickly stench of the snake's mouth had filled his mouth and nose.

Chichi stood clear of the demon, both because of his newly acquired smell and his indignant attitude. She did feel sympathetic, still, but less than she would have if it had happened a while back - before he placed himself on her bad side. She moved away from him, investigating the cave. It was much bigger than she had expected, and when she summoned a small ball of light she could see a pool of water on the far end. Upon moving closer, Chichi saw it was deep and clean.

''There's water in there,'' she called to him, venturing back out into the heat to grab her rucksack. ''Let's resupply our water, then wash.'' 

Piccolo shook his head, wiping his mouth and forcing himself to his feet. His chest ached - broken ribs? A tentative hand touched his side, and he saw stars. The demon limped out of the sun, casting a hateful glance at the dead snake. He stopped, picking up his satchel, and straightened. Piccolo clapped a hand to his forehead as his vision went black for a brief moment.

"Damn it all," he growled, before sliding down the rock wall, slumping just inside the cave. The cool air felt amazing, despite the aches and pains that plagued his body. "Did you s-say something?" he asked, after a moment. She definitely had. "About water?"

Dumping her bag on the ground, Chichi cast her lit staff to the other side of the cave. ''There's a pool of water over there.'' Holding her canteen, she dug inside Piccolo's bag and retrieved his, moving over into the darkness. The light followed her. Kneeling, she began to refill the containers. ''The earliest I'll be able to use any more magic is tomorrow.'' She made her way back over to the demon, handing him his water. ''So we should stay here for as long as we can...''

Piccolo took a swig from his canteen, swishing it around in his mouth before spitting outside. " _'As long as we can'_ is tomorrow night; any longer and we risk...them catching up." The demon hissed quietly. It hurt just to breathe. He pulled his shirt off slowly, not wanting to be clad in the smelly garment for a moment longer, but reluctant to aggravate his cracked ribs. Piccolo dropped his shirt on the floor next to him, examining his injuries. His head, although sore, was not pounding as it had been. Good. But his _ribs_... The demon's chest and abdomen were brutally bruised from when the snake had crushed him into the sand. He growled quietly.

Chichi kept her distance, sitting down and pulling out a small diary. She had been keeping notes on their progress, her pregnancy, but also on her mental states. She had been taught, as a mage who channeled magic using emotions, the importance of self-awareness. If she were angry, spiteful, white magic was not possible; any attempts to use it would do more harm than good. Her eyes cast over Piccolo, feeling a small twinge of irritation as she remembered their prior encounter. She certainly couldn't afford to risk healing him until her temper cooled down. Taking out a pencil, she began scrawling down the thoughts that were swimming in her head, the feelings that coursed throughout her body. Of course, she would write it in the same language she spoke her magic in; so that Piccolo would not be able to understand it, should he decide to pursue the small book. 

Piccolo paid his traveling companion no attention as he dragged himself over the pool in the back of the cave, pulling his shirt along with him.  The demon kicked off his pants and eased himself into the water. As it surrounded him, the water eased many of the various aches and pains. After a moment, the demon pulled his pants and shirt into the water with him, cleaning them as best he could with gingerly movements. Satisfied, Piccolo laid them out flat to dry, hitched his arms over the edge of the pool, and rested his head on them.

Sharp red eyes watched Chichi closely, wondering what she was writing. _All about my earlier stupidity, no doubt,_ he growled internally. The little woman had played him. Completely and utterly fooled him. How could he have been so blind? Fallen for the tricks of a _human_! The demon seethed quietly to himself, furious for a number of reasons. How could he get back at her?

"I'm not scared of you, you know," he tossed the words out, casually, as if they did not matter. A statement of obvious fact.

"Uh-huh," Chichi largely ignored him. Piccolo frowned. Had the former Princess cared to look at him, she would have thought him to be pouting. It was not far off from that, he admitted to himself. Despite having grown used to being passed by with his lowly status, his already bruised pride was insulted by her spurning him.

“That was awfully shrewd of you,” he drawled, letting his head roll from side to side, shrugging his shoulders, “or at least a good guess…”

Chichi’s eyes flicked to his, glaring at him. Good. “Of course, I won’t be so obvious in the future. Can’t have my people thinking that such a tiny little thing has any _real_ power over me.”

He was beginning to feel a little better. The water's cold embrace numbed the pain from his ribs and relieved sore muscles. At the moment, he cared little that each snide remark would delay the removal his collar. Making her squirm was more satisfying in the moment. Despite her lack of a response, he felt the anger in her energy signature 

Chichi's long fingers gripped the leather cover of her notebook, her hair falling over her eyes. She desperately wanted to summon her staff and blast him, but that would prove nothing, and more importantly, it would leave her alone. She couldn't have that, not _now_. But at the same time...the princess took her time to slide her notepad back into her rucksack before rising to her feet, stalking over to the demon. Her dark eyes stared imperiously at him, her lip curling into a sneer as she looked him over. She dropped to her knees as she reached him, her expression deadpan. 

''I feel _sorry_ ,'' she murmured, her small hand moving towards his collar, the other touching the ground, supporting her body as she leaned in; her breath hot against one of the long, pointed ears. ''That you feel the need to mock me so.'' Her fingers tightened around the collar as she drew her face back, her eyes gleaming. ''I know why you do it. To salve your injured pride, your bruised ego. Go ahead, however, it will not change the fact that I possess the ability to _draw you to your knees._ '' She smirked, tugging on the collar for emphasis. ''Without even asking, _Prince_.'' 

Piccolo flinched away from her as she tugged the choker, the sadistic mirth gone from his face. The demon pushed away from the side of the pool - _oh no,_ she was _not_ going to do that to him again. That pain had been terrifying, worse than anything he had experienced. Despite his persistent denial, he was afraid. His very life force had been sucked out of him, crippling him. Piccolo did not even care about the mocking use of his title. _Avoid Pain_ was the only thought in his mind. His eyes widened as he realized that her hand was still wrapped around his collar, but it was too late to do anything about it.

Chichi laughed as Piccolo jerked away from her, enjoying the flash of fear that had came into his scarlet eyes. _It serves you right,_ she thought, before anger tightened her expression again and she snarled, tugging his collar sharply so his face was close to hers once more. ''Do not try to make a fool of me, Piccolo,'' Chichi hissed, magic swirling around her in invisible winds. ''I may be more inclined to kindness, but that does not mean I am stupid. I may be part human, this does not make me _weak_.'' Her eyes flared in her repressed fury. ''I will only attempt to help you until you prompt me to do otherwise. Do _not_ be your own demise.''

She released the collar, standing up, glaring down at him. ''Attempt to rile me again, and you will regret it,'' she growled, turning on her heel and stalking away, her hips swaying. She had had enough of this stupidity for one day.

His head dunked under the water as she released him. The demon resurfaced, spluttering, in time to catch her words. He blinked several times, watching her sashay away from him. His ears and face heated and flushed purple. Piccolo submerged on purpose, cooling his face.

After a few more minutes in the pool, the devilish prince pulled himself up and out, hissing at the strain on his ribs. His clothes were damp, too much so to wear comfortably, so he laid them out closer to the entrance of the cave, where the sun could hit the royal purple garments. He eased himself down just inside the entrance, keeping an eye on the horizon in the direction they had come. 

Piccolo was not sure what to do; a begrudging respect for the runaway Princess was growing in his gut, and he finally admitted to himself that he was dealing with an intellectual equal. She was kind, yes, but not ignorant. And, his gaze flickered to her for a moment; she was no innocent, naïve thing. Her vengeance was swift, and left no room for doubt. Piccolo gave in. She had won. There was no one on this earth - left alive - that held such sway over him. The Prince quietly surrendered. He would do as she bid until she released him…


	16. Poison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The quest continues, but Piccolo finds himself on the receiving end of poisoned arrows.  
> No real warnings apply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not officially ending the hiatus this was on since I'm not really sure I have the heart to continue this. I mean, it's basically all written, so it's really just editing and posting. However, co-author forgotheparable and I, PickleandtheQueen (previously known as ShirePower), had, to simplify all of this, a rather nasty falling out Dec 2015 and have been unable to repair our friendship. I feel weird continuing this without him. This was our baby. The only reason I'm tentatively continuing is because I occasionally get asks about it on tumblr and people have posted some really lovely art for it recently.

It seemed to her that they had spent years, rather than days, under the scorching sun before the runaway duo managed to escape the scathing heat of the desert. At first, Chichi had felt relieved - carrying her backpack  _ and _ a growing child was becoming more and more of a burden, and the broiling temperature didn't do much more than add to her stress. She was too acclimated to the temperate, mild conditions of the forested land where she was born; the sweet scent of grass in the air and soft earth under her feet. Perhaps that was why, now, in this near frigid wasteland, she was faring no better… 

The young woman awoke with a start, a sense of unease pestering her in the few hours that remained until dawn. Chichi knew better than to ignore her instincts - they had saved the fleeing duo multiple times throughout their trek - but she had to wonder why she felt that way. They had lost the army long ago by leaving a false trail and taking an alternate, longer route to their seaside destination. It had been Piccolo's idea and a good one at that. 

Dark eyes glanced over at the demon. Still asleep, but not deeply. He regarded her as an equal now, but there was still a measure of caution in his actions - like she was a tamed, yet deadly predator. It wasn't as if he  _ showed _ his fear, he never would; but she could sense it - see the wariness in his eyes when she drew near as if she would reach out and subdue him again at the slightest indiscretion. Or just because she wanted to, as if she were truly that malevolent,  _ hmmph _ . Chichi shook her head, delving into her bag and withdrew an ancient tome. Its leather cover was embossed with ornate patterns, runes that, for leagues, only she would be able to recognise.  _ That _ was what made her magic so powerful - no human nor demon could disenchant it. Elves held their cards close and were so enigmatic that their very existence had even been said to be a mere rumour. It would therefore also make sense that their means of defense would be as well. Long, pale fingers drifted across the page, curved lettering illuminated under her touch. She never did get a chance to study her magic after her grandmother died, all of ten years ago.  _ That would change. Once she was free. _

Piccolo's fitful dozing was interrupted by a far-off sound. The demon sat up, his spine stiffer than the stones upon which he lay, growling low and deep in his chest. He rolled forward to his knees, one hand on the ground, and from there, his feet. Long ears twitched and flicked, moving in an attempt to pick up the direction of the disturbance. He growled in agitation; despite throwing the Ox King's army off of their trail, the prince could not rest easily.

He had never been a sound sleeper, afraid of a knife between his ribs courtesy of his brothers, but this... This was  _ maddening _ . His brothers were at least predictable. The Ox King was working with more magi than the prince had ever before needed to outsmart. Crimson eyes darted towards the Princess. She was awake. That was unusual. Far more often, he was the first to rise. 

Piccolo's gaze was soon redirected as his ears pinpointed a direction from which the sounds, quiet sounds of stealthy trackers, came. 

"Fuck," he whispered, unsure if he was hearing wolves or humans; the sound was too faint. "Girlie, up." Piccolo murmured, gathering their sparse belongings and folding his blanket. There was no point in taking chances. He would be killed, likely on sight, as long as the Princess was visible. Piccolo glanced at her again, she looked like she had been up for a while. At least an hour. She had that indecipherable book in her hands, illuminated by the soft glow of her hands.  The demon's ears twitched again. There was no time to gripe about the damn thing now. “We need to go.”

As soon as Chichi heard the soft rumble of Piccolo's growl, she packed away her book, movements smooth and calm. So she had been right, there were others nearby. Piccolo's hackles were raised; he had been on edge for quite some time due to the vulnerability of their position, and, she was sure, his upbringing. Still, Chichi wouldn’t lie and say that their inability to consistently find hidden shelter was not unnerving… They had spent that night nestled under a canopy of scrubby bushes roped together with a stubborn yet plentiful grass. She looked at Piccolo again. His now tattered tunic seemed looser than it had when she had given it to him, all those weeks ago on the shores of the lake. His eyes were red-rimmed from insomnia, dark circles bagging under them. He needed a good night’s sleep, or this journey was going to take a serious toll on his health.

More than an hour later, the sun was only just beginning to illuminate the landscape ahead of them. Chichi squinted at a shadow on the horizon.

“Could that be the forest we saw on the map? The one that leads to the cliffs?”

Piccolo grunted a noncommittal answer. She frowned and turned to continue their march. 

“Get down!” the demon hissed, grabbing her and roughly shoving them both to the ground in the tall grass. She struggled to shove him off until she too heard their pursuers. Chichi could hear their hushed voices as they neared the barely hidden runaways. 

The group - three of them - stalked the trail behind them. At least the constant breeze had mostly covered any trace of the direction the two teens had taken. Still, the scouts searched for a sign. Chichi inhaled as they passed, glancing at Piccolo, who nodded. They would have to be quick. 

Her magic could wipe the scouting party’s memory as they lay unconscious, have them awaken with no recollection of what had transpired… In unison, the two stood.

Chichi landed sharp blows on the two closest to her; knocking them out. The furthest whipped around, seeing both Princess and Demon, as well as his incapacitated comrades. 

The Prince sprang forward, throwing caution to the winds. Over the fallen and past Chichi, Piccolo leapt for the remaining tracker. He was fast, but even the fastest demon was slower than an arrow. Piccolo had not seen the bow, arrow drawn and string pulled taut, because the tracker had kept the weapon low, hidden behind the tall grass. 

The desperate, doomed man had fired off his arrow in an attempt to bring down his attacker with him. Piccolo's ruby eyes widened, changing his trajectory too late. He snarled as the sharp barb pierced his shoulder, right below the collarbone. Still, the wound did not deter him. He had experienced worse, after all. 

Had the demon humored any thoughts of sparing the scout’s life left him as blood spurted from the wound. Using a large boulder as a lever, the warrior prince lunged at the tracker, taking the unfortunate man down. It should have been a one hit kill, but in the time it taken Piccolo to skein off of the boulder, the archer drew a second arrow. He had not the time to fit it to his bow, let alone fire, but as the demon's claws tore the skin of his throat, the dying tracker drove the shaft deep into Piccolo's thigh. Piccolo yelped but dispatched the soldier. He tripped, falling to one knee from the pain of the two arrows in his body. Burning. 

Chichi's eyes widened significantly at the confrontation. Although the lapse in Piccolo's usual grace and skill was minute, it was a lapse nonetheless. It was a clear indicator of just how exhausted he was, for Chichi knew he would not allow such a lapse if he could've helped it. 

And then the arrows. Chichi rushed forward, deciding against chiding him for killing the soldier. It would only end with her getting snapped at. “You alright to walk?” she asked instead, not expecting an answer from her surly companion. She glanced at his wounds; the arrows themselves would not be fatal as long as he allowed her to take care of them - the one in his shoulder was not close to any major arteries, but the one in his thigh could be problematic when it came to extraction;  _ I had better look at the remaining arrows to see which kind of barb they have. _ A serrated design would require more careful removal than a simple point. Turning to the fallen soldier, she pulled an arrow from the quiver, a frown furrowing her brow. At a glance, the tip was a clean, sharp point, and thus would be easier to pull out; however, there was a strange colour around the grey metal - she eyed it closely, before pulling out another arrow. It looked exactly the same.

She wiped the arrow on the soldier's clothing. "Looks like poison have been applied to these," Chichi muttered, pulling the body this way and that, searching for clues as to what it might be. "It could be anything, probably just a paralysing agent. In that case, we should move before -"Chichi paused as her fingers met a small pouch. Tugging it from the corpse, she opened it, allowing the contents to spill onto the ground. Her eyes dilated. Berries. Shiny, green and black berries, displaying their various stages of ripeness. Chichi stared. And then she swore, violently. "Fuck," she snarled, before freezing and turning to Piccolo. "Do _not_ touch those arrows," Chichi whispered, skin paling. Her mind whirled, struggling to come up with a solution, whilst simultaneously trying to calm itself. "We need to-" They couldn't move without disturbing the arrows that pierced Piccolo's body. More scouts could be along soon. They would be outnumbered and outmanned if that happened. "Piccolo." She took a deep, shuddering breath. "You've been poisoned. Acini d’morte."

The only antidote for acini d’morte was a combination of a plant and a bean, both extraordinarily rare in this area due to their location of growth - separate continents, thousands of miles away. She stared at his shoulder, breathing beginning to quicken. In his state… How long did he have until the toxins started to take effect? His health was already compromised by a lack of sleep and high stress...

"Fuck," Piccolo groaned. Was it his imagination, or was the sun extra bright today? He squeezed his eyes shut, one hand reaching for the arrow in his thigh, completely ignoring the princess's orders not to touch them. They had to get moving anyway. "Help me get them out," he panted, shaking his head. His heart was pounding in his chest, residual fear and adrenaline still making its way through his body. He gritted his teeth. Piccolo's fingers tightened around the arrow shaft. His instinct was to rip them both out of him, but Chichi had specifically told him otherwise. The headstrong demon prince was disinclined to listen; he wanted them out. He wanted these damming arrows out of his body. Perhaps there wasn't enough in him to kill him, just to put him through the wringer for a few awful, painful, days.

"Get them out," he rasped, knowing full well that the poison was coursing through him because of the fight, how hard and fast his blood had been pumping through his veins. Piccolo's mouth felt thick and dry like he had after eating a mouthful of sand during the scuffle with the massive snake in the desert... 

Chichi bit her lip. They did have to be removed before Piccolo could go anywhere, otherwise, he would not only be pumping the poison through his blood but also increasing the likelihood of one of the arrows hitting a large artery. 

"Hold still," she pulled out her dagger, conjuring a small fire in the air. Blue flames flickered in the air whilst she tore some of her robes, bundling it up. Rather unceremoniously, Chichi shoved it in Piccolo's mouth, effectively gagging him. "Don't try to go without it, or you'll bite your tongue off," she warned, before casting the blade into the fire, holding it until it became red hot. With her other hand, the mage pulled out her water, muttering an incantation in order to purify it. A secondary infection was the last thing Piccolo needed. Removing the dagger from the flame, she held it until it cooled before beginning to cut around the arrowhead, located on Piccolo's chest.

It came out cleanly, much to her relief. She sighed, splashing water on the wound, cleaning it thoroughly before heating the blade again. 

"This will hurt."  _ As if slicing the damn thing out hadn’t hurt, _ she pressed the flat side of the dagger to the wound. The second arrow was more difficult, the barb had been plunged deep inside the tissue. "Sorry, sorry," she muttered as she pulled the scarlet soaked arrow out, washing the wound and cauterizing it. Tossing the toxic arrows to the side, she raised herself to her feet, handing Piccolo her skin. "Drink. We need to find somewhere to hide, and quickly." 

Piccolo had started to spit out the gag on a reflex but overcame it as he realized what she was going to do. The still-warm blade sliced into his flesh. His crimson eyes widened, and he screamed around the gag, biting down hard on the yielding cloth. He threw his head back, every muscle tightening as he fought to hold himself still. The arrow was removed, and he closed his eyes, relaxing slightly even though the water stung as she flushed the wound. The sickly stench of burning flesh scorched his nostrils, making his eyes water painfully. 

Another scream, he could not help it, no matter much he hated himself for displaying such weakness. At least only Chichi could hear him, the gag stifling most of the sound. Piccolo whimpered, his face contorting in pain as Chichi's knife cut the flesh around the second arrow, blood spurting over her arms as she removed it. His talons dug into the earth, and, the moment the wound was cauterized, he leaned heavily against her, panting and spitting out the gag. The moment ended abruptly as she stood, and he forced himself up, accepting the water skin. Piccolo took several long gulps, sucking down the liquid. He panted, blinking rapidly again and shaking his head.

“We should get moving before this shit takes effect,” he rasped. Chichi nodded, blood-spattered face creased in worry. 

The world was beginning to look like wet paint. He blinked again, harder. Chichi was blurry, although he could read the line of her shoulders, tension. 

It had been an hour since he’d been shot. The demon shook his head, vision clearing somewhat, although there was a definite loss of definition and  _ goddamm _ if the sun wasn't bright…

Some of the initial fear was dying down, but his vision was still poor, pupils dilated and taking in ten times more light than they should have been. At least the acini d’morte paste from the arrow heads had yet to disrupt his balance.

Chichi had to admire the demon's tenacity, but she supposed his life hadn't allowed for anything less. 

"There will be a scouting camp not far off from here, where those three came from," she said lowly, keeping a close eye on Piccolo as they made their way towards the distant trees. "The berries aren't long picked. I can't imagine why they wouldn't have the antidote, or at least the ingredients to make one." Acini d’morte was not often used, or even authorised to be used, because the ingredients of its only cure grew so far away. Careful conditions would have to be maintained for it to be grown in the kingdom. "There is a way for me to slow down the progress of the poison." She paused, "but the only way I can is to induce a deep sleep in order to slow your heart rate." They moved across the flat wastelands, a bitter wind cutting into their exposed faces. "I'll need to go find the scouting camp myself whether I do that or not. There's no chance of finding a cure anywhere else. Acini d’morte is prohibited, so there's no need for it." 

Piccolo grimaced, he would prefer not to be at such a risk. Allowing Chichi to knock him out would make him vulnerable,  _ too _ vulnerable. "Alright," he replied, deciding to think on it. Piccolo winced as the trail grew uneven, harder to navigate. The wounds hurt, but at least the cauterization would prevent most additional problems with the injuries. He tripped, stumbling but catching himself in time to prevent falling. The demon shook his head again, closing his eyes. There. It was his vision, not his  _ inner _ sense of balance yet. That was good. His ears were fine. Acini d’morte toxins should not affect that at least. Not until the end...anyway. Piccolo slowly opened his eyes, cursing. Blurry. Of course it was blurry, that was a symptom of acini d’morte poisoning... And a dry mouth... He supposed that at this rate, he would start convulsing and lose control of his limbs by the following afternoon. His heart rate would increase until the muscle gave out... His head was aching, although he was not sure if it was because of the poison, his vision, or if the two were connected in all cases. Piccolo focused on walking, groaning quietly. How much poison had been on those arrows? It must have been concentrated...very concentrated. And fresh. "If I die, promise you'll take the collar off before you burn my body." He would rather have it off while still alive, but would not ask for that yet. 

“ _ You're not going to die _ ," Chichi snarled, pushing down the panic and fear that rose up like bile in her throat with aggressive determination. "I'm going to get the antidote from those soldiers. There's no  _ way  _ they would be issued acini d’morte without one. Six of those berries can kill an adult. And it's easy to mistake them for blueberries." She was positive they would have one. That wasn't the issue - it was going to the camp by herself. She had not been without Piccolo thus far besides that time they had fought; and as much as she hated to admit it, she felt safer with his strength nearby. But she had no other choice. If he died, she would be left alone, stranded in this bare wilderness. She wouldn't be able to forgive herself if she didn't at least  _ try _ . 

"Piccolo." Chichi led the demon into a cave formed by two large slabs of granite held together by tree roots. She began unpacking her supplies, preparing a comfortable an area as possible for Piccolo to rest in. "I really,  _ really _ need you to trust me. Just this once. If you don't, you'll die. I won't be able to focus if I know you're here, suffering. You will start to hallucinate." A heavy sigh escaped her. "I need to make sure you're not going to go through that while I'm gone. And you'll be safer. I'll cast a barrier so this entire cave is hidden." Her voice was a soft plea. "And it will buy us more time." 

He chuckled and leaned against the wall of the cave, slowly sliding down to the ground. "Trust you... To knock me out and leave me while you go search for an... Antidote..." Piccolo pressed his fingers against his temples, rubbing and groaning quietly. "Say I let you put me into this comatose state," he looked up at her blurry form, before closing his eyes again. "If they don't have an antidote - for whatever reason - you come back, wake me up, and let me die free." He reached out a hand, blinding groping for Chichi's wrist. Finding it, he pulled her down to his level, and opened his eyes. They were nose to nose. "I don't want to die...a slave." Crimson eyes, glazed, bored into her hazel ones, clear. "Promise me," Piccolo panted, "that if you can't find the antidote, you will..." His other hand touched his throat, claws tinkling on the collar. "Even if I didn't get you as far as I said I would." He couldn't help it, and grinned cheekily, trying to focus on her face. It was getting harder and harder... 

Chichi remained silent even as Piccolo flashed the kind of smirk she usually found infuriating. 

"You're not going to die, I'm not going to let you." She tugged her wrist from his grip, only to clasp her hand around his to try and coax him down onto the blanket. Her pale brow knitted in concern; his eyes were becoming too bleary, beads of sweat breaking out all over his smooth skin. The poison was acting quickly.

Her hand slid over his forehead; his skin felt clammy to touch but there wasn't yet a fever. "I don't know why you're so paranoid around me still," she muttered, tearing a piece of her robe and wetting it; laying it upon his head. "I've already said that I wouldn't hurt you. You should know better than to think a white mage would lie about that. And I guess I owe you one." She placed a hand on each of his ugly, cauterized wounds, healing them completely. "Even if you're a complete  _ ass _ who tried to trick and insult and  _ ditch _ a pregnant woman." She shook her head. "Very Prince Charming of you. Y'know, if you become King I'm going to tell everyone what an immature little jerk you are." She paused, gazing at the sharp lines of his face, her own softening. "In fact, I'm going to make  _ sure  _ you stay alive and become the king just so I can write a book about you and become filthy rich off your humiliation." She placed her hands on his face. "Anything to say before I place this spell on you?" 

Piccolo sighed, so she really wasn't going to just say something to make him feel better? He let her push him down, making a face but remaining silent. He listened to her talk with a weak attempt at a smirk on his face, feeling worse by the second. "You write a book about this nonsense and I'll eat your kid," Piccolo muttered, staring into what he hoped were her eyes. He would do no such thing, of course, partly because he planned on getting as far away from her as possible the second her hands freed him from his collar, partly because he would do no such thing in the first place. The idea of eating a child was repugnant. But the Princess didn't need to know that.   

Her hands were soft on his skin, and Piccolo slowly relaxed under her touch, pleased with his choice of possibly last sane words. Should she fail to procure an antidote to the poison surging through his veins, there was a very good chance that anything else he said would be the result of delirium. Even if his words held an empty threat... It had become a sort of game for him, a dangerous game, to see how far he could push her. One twist of the collar now, one good energy drain, and he was dead, a sack of skin and wasted muscle sculpted over bones. She probably would not return for him, not now that he was useless to her. Or perhaps she would. Return with the antidote. Maybe she would give him the antidote and leave him to suffer through the healing process. It would be some time before he was fit to travel, even with the antidote for acini d’morte. He was going to be wasting time neither of them had. Piccolo sighed, and closed his eyes, "good luck." Damn, there went his witty farewell threat... 

“Jerk," she responded, but her voice lacked the bite of her usual retorts. Chichi sighed, thumbs stroking across Piccolo's sharp cheekbones. "I definitely won't leave you here. What would you do without me? Probably get eaten by ghosts." She was talking to herself at this point, voice a low drone as she cast the spell to slow his heart rate to what would be just above that was required for him to survive. Even now, Chichi didn't fully understand why she was going through with this. The possibility of being captured was high, of losing her child as a result - and there was the chance that they wouldn't even  _ have _ the antidote, even if she had succeeded in overcoming them. Such effort may very well be in vain - and for a man who was planning on overtaking her own father's Kingdom, to slay the man she was once so set on marrying? She rose to her feet. As Chichi looked down on the demon curled on his side, it occurred to her just how young and vulnerable he looked - wrapped up in that blanket, brow creased… She shook her head,  _ no _ .  _ No _ . The Princess turned and walked out, dagger sheathed as she delved into the night, following the path from which they came and had been ambushed.


	17. Antidote

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chichi finds the antidote...but it is in time?

" _ Piccolo _ ." Dimly, he was aware of a soft voice calling out to him. " _ Piccolo _ ," he turned his head away, face scrunching. “Wake up, come on…” 

Chichi yanked the musty blanket from over him, and the demon protested with bared fangs and a snarl before blearily blinking up at her. 

“Didjou get the antidote?”

“I hope so,” Chichi chewed her lip as she dug a bottle out of her satchel, leaving the second container nestled beside her waterskin. 

“Fucking encouraging.” 

She didn’t have the strength to glower at him with the necessary intensity his level of sass truly warranted, but the sight of sweat slicking his brow, and the blue-tinge to his eyes was enough to quell some of her irritation. 

“Open your mouth and drink the damn thing.” 

As the day faded into a cold night, it became apparent that the antidote had failed to completely counteract the poison. She had expected that, Chichi told herself as she dabbed a damp cloth on Piccolo’s forehead. Initially, he had snarled and shoved her away, but as the hours had passed he had set his pride aside and slumped against the granite wall. 

“How are you feeling?” she asked, pressing her index and middle fingers against his neck, just under the jaw. His pulse indicated an elevated heartbeat; she chewed her lip and ran over the effects of  the acini d’morte in her head again. Blurry vision...check. Dry mouth...check. Elevated heart rate...check. 

“Worse than I did after taking Son’s foot to my skull.” 

“You’re going to be fine,” Chichi adjusted the blanket around his chin and patted his cheek. He raised his lip, and she had to physically stop herself from breathing out a sigh of relief that he still contained the energy to be an asshole. He’d had the antidote. His heart wasn’t  _ that _ fast. “Are you hearing or seeing anything? Anything strange?”

Piccolo turned his head, but she noticed he wasn’t really focusing on her. Almost looking through her. 

“Well, I see and hear  _ you _ .” 

Chichi scowled at him and flopped back to the opposite side of the cave. 

“Be that way!” she snapped, drawing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. “I don’t know why I bother!”

It would make more sense if she left. Leave him with water and one of the blankets. Let him suffer for a day or three. He could figure out how to get that collar off without her help! But… She watched him slump against the wall, in obvious discomfort, and knew she wasn’t going anywhere without him. 

Even if he was a self-serving ass who had already tried to ditch her. Who would leave her behind to die if he had the chance. 

“And I thought my father was here, earlier.” Chichi straightened and looked to him. Piccolo rubbed his face and avoided her gaze. “...just thought I should tell you.” 

Chichi crawled back over to him, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him close. She felt him tense, then relax against her, his head resting on her shoulder.

* * *

 

Neither Chichi nor Piccolo slept well that night. The demon’s shivering and labored breath prevented either of them from resting. Piccolo’s fever refused to break. Even when she managed to drift off, his shivering would literally shake her awake.

Between pouring water and more antidote down his throat, and threatening him with another collar yank if he didn’t keep the damn blanket tucked around him -  _ “I don’t care how hot you feel, you’re shivering and you’re clammy!” _ \- Chichi saw the sun rise on what promised to be an unpleasant day. 

“How are you feeling?”

Piccolo blinked up at her from where he rested in her lap, and stuck out his tongue. Was it always that blue? She supposed it had been. “That good, huh?” 

“Vision’s better. Chest hurts.” 

She massaged his sternum, humming as she peered outside. 

“Looks like rain,” Chichi murmured, her fingers working in circles over his chest. She could feel his heart beating in its still-too-fast pace. At least, she thought to herself as her fingertips glowed with a soft stream of white magic, it was not getting any worse. 

Cold rainwater runoff dripped into the cave, dribbling through cracks in the granite where the roots failed to encase it in soil. Piccolo had fallen into a fitful doze, curled up beside her and wrapped in blankets. She ran a hand over his ear, and pressed a hand to his forehead. Still hot… She settled down beside him, resting her head on his chest. His heartbeat had slowed, beating out a calm, steady rhythm. “Please be okay,” she whispered, blinking away tears. Before she realized it, Chichi’s eyes had glued themselves shut. 

The demon prince awoke, sweat oozing and dripping out of his skin, suctioning his clothes and even the blanket to his body. He started to sit up, but paused, feeling arms around him. Piccolo looked, and saw Chichi curled on his chest, ear over his heart. His ears twitched, and he reached out a hand to brush the hair from her face. Her cheeks held obvious signs of dried tears. Her fingers were curled in his shirt. Piccolo's eyes narrowed, lips parting slightly, confused. She looked haggard, like she had passed out on his chest on accident. Sprawled on the cave floor as she was, he assumed that was indeed what had happened. 

His hand stroked her hair gently, head tilting to the side. Slowly, he sat up, other hand reaching to prevent her from sliding down him. Piccolo held her tentatively, confused. 

Chichi mumbled in her sleep, mid-dream about pancakes. 

"...  _ Mmm _ yesss I would like the strawberry jam.... no I dun' care. I have very so... sophisticated tastes, I'll have you know.”

A yawn escaped her, brow creasing as she recognised she was indeed leaning against something. "Picc'lo... come join my tea party."  _ Piccolo _ . Piccolo. What a nice name. It drifted around her half-conscious mind a little longer before she jerked awake. " _ Piccolo _ !" Dark eyes darted around wildly, before settling on the demon in question. All the tension fell from Chichi's tired face, only to be replaced by elation. "You're awake?" she whispered, throwing her arms around his neck and burying herself against his chest, forgetting herself. "I knew it! I knew you'd pull through!" She pulled back, only to look at him. "How are you feeling?" 

“I'm alright," Piccolo replied, quiet and confused. He pulled his hand away from her hair, taking in her expression, reading the utter relief and happiness that reigned supreme over anything else on her pretty face. He felt his cheeks color. He was still weak, his strength low. Yet, compared to how he had been convinced of death, he felt like a brand new man. The demon's face colored more as he realized how intimately they held one another, and his hands abruptly left her, falling down on a pretense of supporting himself. "A little weak, still, but much better." There was no sense in lying. It would get him nowhere in this situation, therefore, there was no point in concealing the truth from the girl. Besides, they would need to get moving. The army - the  _ full _ army - would have discovered the loss of the scouting party and sent reinforcements… 

The demon looked anywhere but at Chichi, unsure of what to say.  If was obvious that she had not left his side... He felt...odd.  _ Warm _ . Confused. She had risked capture for him. Her child for him. Her  _ freedom _ for him. Even when there was a chance of her efforts being in vain... Of him dying and her losing time for nothing, she had  _ stayed _ . For...him? No one had ever done such a thing. It made him uncomfortable just considering it, and shook his head, although the corner of his lip twitched upwards. She had stayed. For him. 

It was just too much to process. 

“I need to piss,” he grumbled, standing and shoving past her on wobbling legs. 

Chichi bit her lip, unable to stifle the small snort of laughter that bubbled up.  _ Typical _ , she shook her head, turning her attention to packing up their things - the blankets, skins of water, and the pouches of dried food - all neatly organized and secured in their rucksacks. 

"We need to refill our skins first chance we get,” she said without looking up as he squeezed back inside their shelter. "I picked up some extra ones, so we won't be short on water even if we can only fill them once on the way to the harbour..."

* * *

 

Trees grew denser, and the odd duo stepped and tripped over stones and roots in an easy silence until Chichi nudged her companion. "Well, aren't you going to say something sarcastic or rude? That's your usual ice breaker." A smirk curved her mouth; there was no bite to her words. 

Piccolo swatted half-heartedly at her and grumbled a weak  _ "your hair's a mess." _ It was the best he could come up with in that moment. He was trying to understand her actions, and found he could not. It was frustrating. He supposed that her means had been justified by the ending result of his survival. A full day, plus some, had been wasted tending to him. She had her bodyguard back, and a powerful one at that. At least, once his strength fully returned. Yet, she likely could have already boarded a ship and been on her way to a life of quiet freedom, instead of keeping him alive. 

Piccolo nudged the runaway Princess gently with his hip. 

"Thanks. For taking care of me," he looked straight ahead, not meeting her gaze, hiding the thanks in his eyes, but the sincerity slipped into his voice. 

The demon frowned again, expression sobering as he looked to the road ahead. They had been heading mostly uphill, across rocky areas. Boulders often blocked their path, and the duo had to scramble around them or climb over. Finally, after several hours, Piccolo and Chichi reached the highest point of their journey. The demon's ears perked, picking up on an unfamiliar sound, nostrils flaring at the smell of...salt. His eyes widened, and he grabbed Chichi by the hand, tugging her along after him. "C'mon!" 

They reached the edge of the cliff, looking out over the ocean. The ocean. The blue expanse of water spread out before them. Sparkling waves, calls of seabirds, white sands... 

And soldiers below them on the beach. 


End file.
